John Mellencamp Slams Trump’s ‘Stupid F–king Idea’ to Rename Gulf of Mexico While Singing a Rock Classic

The rocker paused in the middle of singing "Pink Houses" to make a jab at the president. John Mellencamp performs onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. Michael Buckner/Billboard John Mellencamp isn’t taking any lyrical cues from President Donald Trump. At his recent show in Holmdel, N.J., the rock icon paused his performance of his pseudo-patriotic anthem “Pink Houses” to poke fun at the president’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Explore See latest videos, charts and news In videos captured at the Saturday (July 25) stop on his Dancing Words Tour, Mellencamp got through the majority of his 1983 hit before stopping after the first few lines of its third verse. “Well, there’s people and more people/ What do they know, know, know?/ Go to work in some high rise/ And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico,” he sang before saying, “Wait a minute.” With his band still playing behind him, the Indiana native continued sarcastically, “The Gulf of Mexico? Is that right? It’s not the Gulf of America? What a stupid f–king idea.” Mellencamp then dove right back into “Pink Houses” — which reached its peak at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 — as the crowd cheered him on. Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment. The rocker’s dig comes in reference to the twice-impeached POTUS’ executive order last year to replace “Mexico” with “America” in the gulf’s official title, calling on all federal agencies to recognize it as such. It was a polarizing move, especially considering that “The Gulf of Mexico” is a name that dates back to the 1550s. Mellencamp’s next show will be on Wednesday (July 29) in Bristow, Va., with dates scheduled through the end of September. Billed as a greatest hits tour, Dancing Words showcases some of the most popular selections in his discography, which features 29 Hot 100 entries — including four-week No. 1 smash “Jack & Diane” — and 24 Billboard 200-charting albums. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up