Green Day are known for being satirical and political (often at the same time). Over the weekend, they doubled down on that fact by offering a new item in their official store: a “Nimrod 45” t-shirt featuring the recently released mugshot of former President Donald Trump.
Last Friday (Aug. 25), the band shared an image of the shirt on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, clarifying: “Good Riddance. The ultimate Nimrod shirt is available for 72 hours only. Limited edition shirt proceeds will be donated to T̶h̶e̶ ̶G̶i̶u̶l̶i̶a̶n̶i̶ ̶L̶e̶g̶a̶l̶ ̶D̶e̶f̶e̶n̶s̶e̶ ̶F̶u̶n̶d̶ Greater Good Music, which brings food to those affected by the Maui wildfires.”
You can see the post below:
Considering that they stipulate a 72-hour time constraint, the shirt will likely only be available until sometime on Aug. 28. As of this writing, though, it can still be preordered from the group’s official merch store for $35, with a specified availability date of Sept. 29, 2023. It can be purchased in sizes ranging from S (small) to 3XL, too.
Understandably, reactions to the merchandise and social media posts have been mixed, if not outright contentious.
For instance, someone on Instagram wrote: “This . . . is why I love Green Day,” whereas another user declared: “He [Trump] is the Best president you americans have had in decades.” Across all platforms, people are also accusing the group of being “sellouts,” “part of the establishment now” and the like.
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As alluded to above, the iconic trio’s overt stance shouldn’t be surprising. After all, punk music is rooted in political and social commentaries, and Green Day have made their views increasingly explicit and emblematic since 2004’s American Idiot (if not earlier).
As one person concluded:
It’s actually hilarious to see multiple people who I’ve been internet friends with for years now shocked at this. Y’all have seen Green Day how many times over how many years? And you’re mad/shocked about this? If they’re truly your favorite band, you would know where they stand and how they’ve vocalized their political beliefs since 2004.
Aside from the obvious implication, another reason why Green Day may’ve used 1997’s Nimrod, in particular, is because of the re-release it received earlier this year (to celebrate its 25th anniversary). After all, it was quite an expensive box set.
As for the mugshot itself (CNBC reported on Aug. 25), it was taken when Trump was “booked at the Fulton County jail Thursday night [Aug. 24] on state charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.” CNBC added: “Trump is facing charges in four separate criminal cases, but this is the first time he had a mugshot taken.”
Political disagreements and all notwithstanding, at least the proceeds of the t-shirt are going to a great cause, right?
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