In an effort to deter the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency, an online campaign known as 30 Days, 30 Songs will release a protest song by a well-known artist each day until the election on November 8.
The songs, as expected, will all have anti-Trump themes. Still, the goal of the project is not just to warn people of the unrest that would result from a President Trump, but also to ignite support for Hillary Clinton. The site features open letters of persuasion to groups – such as “Obama supporters not feeling it for Clinton” – who are hesitant to give their vote to her.
Their approach is not to overwhelm readers with the potential positive aspects of a Clinton presidency, but to highlight her as the only viable alternative “who can prevent the apocalypse that would be Donald Trump as president.”
So far, three songs have been released from the online campaign. The first from the 30-day effort is Death Cab for Cutie’s “Million Dollar Loan,” which alludes to the “small” loan of $1 million Trump received from his father to start his business. Lyrics to the tune include, “Call your father on the phone and get that million dollar loan,” and “He countersues from any corner he’s backed into.”
The song’s message was clearly enough to rile Trump, who tried to minimize the song’s credibility by telling Sean Hannity the band is “small potatoes.” The second song is by outspoken singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, titled “Can’t You Tell?” which is written from the perspective of Trump himself. And out today is “With Love from Russia” by Bhi Bhiman.
Trump has yet to comment.
Other artists set to release songs as part of the project include R.E.M. and My Morning Jacket. The music is available on the 30 Days, 30 Songs website as well as Spotify. Streaming proceeds from the campaign will be donated to The Center for Popular Democracy.