Art of the Protest: Ten Anti-Trump Songs by Denver Artists

Donald Trump has been able to divide America like no single force since the Civil War, but he has also unintentionally united a certain group: Denver musicians. You won't find many local bands, singer-songwriters or rappers praising 45-slash-47, but there are plenty who have a beef with the commander in chief — and who aren't afraid to put their music where their mouths are. If this kind of solidarity can exist in such a diverse a music scene, who knows? There may be hope for us all.

Keep reading to find songs to blast at the President's Day protest at the capitol building.



Battle Pussy, "Trumpty Dumpty"
Suzanne Slade, the frontwoman of Denver's righteous pop-punk band Battle Pussy, started the all-woman group after being inspired by Russia's revolutionary outfit Pussy Riot. And on "Trumpty Dumpty," Slade makes it clear what she thinks of Trump's thin shell of fragile masculinity. Best of all, Battle Pussy released "Trumpty Dumpty" in 2017, long before eggs became a central issue for Trump. It's almost as if Slade was some kind of prEGGnosticator.



Cheap Perfume, "Trump Roast"
Don't be fooled by the initial sweetness of Cheap Perfume's "Trump Roast." Granted, the song has an echoey, surf-punk vibe and a bouncy tempo, but the group isn't mincing words when it comes to the target of its ire. "Dear Don," the lyrics begin. From there, Trump's infamous 2015 remarks about Fox News host Megyn Kelly — that "she had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her whatever" — are chanted like a patriarchy-shaking war cry.



Clusterfux, "45 (2000 Lies)"
"Licking Putin's balls and showering in hooker's pee," screams Josh Lent on the Clusterfux song "45 (2000 Lies)." Hmm, whoever could he be singing about? Like everything the veteran hardcore band has released, the anger is raw and real. And it references one of Trump's worst milestones: In January 2018, the Washington Post counted 2,000 lies that he had publicly told in the mere first year of his presidency. It's probably safe to say that at least some of those falsehoods concerned his familiarity with Putin's balls.



eHpH, "Idiot"
Fernando Altonaga really, really, really doesn't like Trump. Not only is he responsible for the searing anti-Trump song "Idiot" by his industrial project eHpH, he's the man behind Churro Jerks, whose name is play on the legendary punk band Circle Jerks — and whose song "They're Eating the Dogs" lampoons Trump's fictional assertion that immigrants in Ohio were consuming peoples' pets. What do these two Altonaga songs have in common, besides loathing the Trump? They both sample Trump's own voice as a way of emphasizing just how batshit he is.



Flobots, "Pray"
A lot of anti-Trump songs by Denver artists use humor or satire to skewer Trump. Not so with Flobots. The hip-hop group's 2017 song "Pray" was released, in its own words, "in response to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States." The jam is almost biblically ominous, with MC Stephen "Brer Rabbit" Brackett rapping, "Be angry and sin not / Do not let the sun go down on your wrath." Just something to keep in mind.



Gasoline Lollipops, "Freedom Don't Come Easy"
What would Woody Guthrie do if he were alive today? More than likely, he'd be writing songs like "Freedom Don't Come Easy." Clay Rose, the frontman of the country-folk outfit Gasoline Lollipops, recites a shit-list that leaves no room for doubt as to where he plants his flag: "Fuck that noise / Fuck the Proud Boys / Fuck the KKK / Fuck Donald Trump / Fuck Fox News / Fuck the NRA / Fuck all the Christians standing by / Condoning what they do / 'Cause let's be clear, if Christ were here / He'd say fuck them too."



KC KSum, "Donald Trump Rides a Cockhorse"
Although the Warlock Pinchers only existed in the late '80s and early '90s, the rap-punk's outfit's anthem "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse" remains a favorite among, well, people who don't like Morrissey. But in 2019, the Pinchers' KC KSum — aka local artist and organizer Andrew Novick — took it upon himself to craft a snotty new version of "Cockhorse," only with Trump taking the place of dishonor from the divisive frontman of the Smiths.



Little Fyodor, "Trump Loves You"
There's no musician on Earth like Little Fyodor, and there's no anti-Trump video like "Trump Loves You." As Fyodor's longtime, headkerchief-wearing companion — naturally named Babushka — plinks away on a keyboard, the art-deranged singer intones in his creepiest nerd voice, "Trump loves you / Trump molests you / Trump molests everybody." Meanwhile, a person with a giant Trump head fucks with everyone in sight. Even more horrifying: If the video is taken as the documentary that is surely is, Trump is someone you might run into in the parking lot of Casa Bonita. Shudder.



Los Mocochetes, "¡Que Viva Revolución!"
Los Mocochetes won a Westword Best of Denver award in 2024 for being the Best Band of Activists. One of the main reasons was "¡Que Viva Revolución!". Peppered with brass and sung in Spanish, the song commemorates the 1969 anti-racist walkout by students at Denver's West High School, which the police countered with mace and batons. But it's more than just a passionate, danceable lesson in history; when the band sings "Abajo con Trump," a line is drawn from the racism of the past to that of today.



Moon Pussy, "F 45"
When it comes to protest songs, there's a lot to be said for being blunt. Exhibit A: Moon Pussy's "F 45." The Denver noise band launches the song on a nauseating wave of dissonance, and from there, it never lets up. Which is only fitting, seeing as how "F 45" channels every ounce of fear, confusion and hatred that Trump has pumped into the guts of America since first entering the presidential race ten years ago. "Fuck Trump / Fuck him in the ass," goes the chorus. Never has bluntness sounded so good.