Kristi Noem hammers Zach Bryan over apparently anti-ICE song — singer says he's 'scared' by negative reaction

Country singer Zach Bryan responded to a wave of backlash over a snippet of a song he released that appeared to criticize the mission of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Bryan posted the short clip from his song onto his Instagram account and immediately received fierce criticism from many on the right. That included Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

'To see how much s**t it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared.'

"Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today,” she said during a media briefing in Portland, Oregon. “That makes me very happy that I never gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle.”

She later offered further clarification in a podcast interview with Benny Johnson.

"I hope Zach Bryan understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has stood up and fought for our freedoms," Noem said. "He just compromised it all by putting out a product ... that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe."

On Tuesday, the social media account for DHS mocked Bryan by posting a video using one of his songs in order to highlight ICE operations.

Bryan, who is a military veteran, responded to the backlash with a video posted to his Instagram account also on Tuesday.

"I served this country, I love this country, and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn't speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a*****e, just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else," he said.

"To see how much s**t it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared," he added.

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Bryan went on to explain that the song was written months ago.

"This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle," Bryan continued. "Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back."

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