Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" is a song often associated with President Donald Trump, especially after the RNC where he was formally nominated last July. That being said, it's a song that Greenwood wrote over 40 years ago. Such a song also recently came up in a conversation from NPR about "propaganda."
Last week, a headline posted to North County Public Radio wondered, "Is your favorite pop star spreading propaganda?" The piece began by discussing Beyoncé's halftime performance last Christmas, but also featured a discussion overall on "propaganda."
Host Brittany Luse asked Daphne A. Brooks, described as a "black feminism scholar" who is also a professor at the Department of African American Studies of Yale, for her take on "propaganda." Historian Nick Cull was also part of the conversation.
"Have you ever watched something on TV and thought, okay, now, this is propaganda. Have you ever had that moment?" Luse asked, prompting Brooks to answer, "whenever I see Lee Greenwood singing, 'Proud To Be An American.'"
When Cull dared to mention that "I also quite enjoy it because I can see that it's meant to connect to me, and I enjoy that feeling," Luse further asked, "You mean you enjoy the feeling of being reached out to?" As he brought up how "I tear up for everyone's national anthem," Luse laughed at him, adding, "So you're highly susceptible to nationalism across the board."
These are the lyrics to the song that Brooks considers to be "propaganda," when she happens to see Greenwood singing such a song:
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Where's pride in every American heart
And it's time we stand and say
That I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
What about those lyrics are considered "propaganda"? Does Brooks have a problem with patriotism and being proud of one's own nation? Of a country where we're "free," where we "won't forget the men who died?"
On Saturday, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) shared from X that he heard NPR discussing how the song was considered "propaganda," bringing attention, outrage, and calls for once more defunding NPR.
I just heard on @NPR that “God Bless the USA” by @TheLeeGreenwood is propaganda. That’s good to know.
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) January 18, 2025
Defund NPR. @TheLeeGreenwood is a hero. National Propaganda Radio is a taxpayer bankrolled, anti-freedom entity. https://t.co/VpnNEgV1ur
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) January 19, 2025
A song that has been an American staple, Patriotic to the core, for more than FORTY YEARS, is propaganda.
— J P Chamberlain (@JPChamberlainX) January 19, 2025
So says the TAXPAYER FUNDED National Propaganda Radio.@elonmusk and @DOGE (@realdogeusa), there has NEVER been a better place for taxpayer savings than DEFUNDING NPR!
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