Watch this now controversial 20 second video posted on X by the White House on YouTube here. The images go by very quickly, therefore above and below are some screen grabs.
Stories about this have been in the news for a few day (News search):
What I find telling is that none of the men shown being deported look like hardened dangerous criminals. None look like they want to sing along with the song.
The only man who does look like a hardened criminal in the ad is Donald Trump.
The music is Jess Glynne’s 2015 hit “Hold My Hand” and the dialogue is from an airline commercial. You can watch a YouTube Video of her singing her 2015 hit here.
Wikipedia has an entry for this song but it hasn’t been updated as of this writing to include the controversy over its use in this ad.
You can see the video by clicking below:
Even though it was posted on the White House X page on July 29th, Salon didn’t pick up the story until yesterday. This was the first place I saw it referenced. The article is “Jet2 holiday ad audio used in ICE deportation video.”
Here’s an excerpt from Salon:
Zoë Lister, the voice actor in the original commercial, also criticized the White House for co‑opting the ad.
A spokesperson Jet2 and Jet2 Holidays gave a statement to the English press, distancing the airline from the post and expressing disappointment that its brand was tied to political messaging…..
“Our branding has become something of a viral phenomenon this summer and we are pleased to see how many people have used it in good humour. This has put a smile on many people’s faces, just like our holidays do. We are of course aware of a post from the White House social media account. This is not endorsed by us in any way, and we are very disappointed to see our brand being used to promote government policy such as this.”…
The controversy comes as the Trump administration escalates its immigration crackdown, with expanded ICE operations and plans for mass deportations. While the White House has not apologized or removed the video, the uproar highlights the risks of repurposing light‑hearted internet culture to promote hardline policy.
The tune used in the ad gained popularity this summer. There is no doubt that this is why it was used in the ad. Here’s an article about the song’s becoming so popular. “Social media users are proving why nothing beats a Jet2 holiday. What's that?”
Note that Trump’s ICE thugs took advantage of an old song that had recently become very popular.
Here’s another article that predated what ICE did:
The singer, Jess Glynne, whose “Hold My Hand” is used in the ad, reacted to this here.
This comes as we have this news:
I wonder whether Hegseth will find a catchy tune to play as background music when he has an ad showing how great it is when he orders active duty soldiers to round up immigrants.
I doubt that ICE is actually playing this song while loading the immigrants onto a plane. I don’t doubt that they might take inspiration from this ad and that the sadists among them decide to do this.
In conclusion:
The Nazi’s had prisoners play music when they marched Jews off to their deaths during the Holocaust (reference).
If you are new to my Substack, welcome! There’s a lot more to read here.
For those on Facebook: Since I am, a least for now, banned from Facebook (see my Substack about this).
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Trump wants to make elections irrelevant: How Trump Is Plotting To Disrupt The Next Election. I assume this is Plan B for the possiblity that he isn’t an outright dictator by 2026.
We’ve seen the plans for the new White House ballroom, but now we can see what the already built new White House Rose garden looks like here. (read article)
I wonder if Trump’s plan is to eventually be able to move entirely out of Washington and rule the country from Mar-a-Lago. Then he could surround himself with total tackiness and have his own golf course just five miles away. (Facts about Mar-a-Lago)
Trump was pissed off because Charlamagne tha God was interviewed by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox Newsand said "I think this Epstein thing is going to be a way for traditional conservatives to take their party back, I really do." This was his reaction:
Running the country must really be easy since in between saving the world he has the time to think about matters like this.
On her Facebook page today my friend Sabrina Haake asked for recommendations of companies to do business with which are anti-Trump. I found this website: Shop How You Vote.
I was glad to see Macy’s listed as strongly left since we do shop there. We knew this since the last time we were there they had a PRIDE promotion. I was upset that Costco, where we also shop, was listed as strongly right.
Since I put this online I added several items to my Substack for today.
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