Members of the MAGA movement have been criticising GWAR for their latest antics during a festival performance.
The band have a long-standing tradition of carrying out a pretend execution while on stage, which has seen them stage a faux assassination of every president over the past 40 years. Biden, Obama, Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Clinton and Reagan have all been included, as well as other famous faces like Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson.
During their recent slot at Riot Fest, the band brought the current US president into the mix, along with Elon Musk. While at the three-day event in Chicago, the band pretended to stab Donald Trump and then behead Musk.
Now though, the faux assassinations have caught the eye of MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, with many taking to social media to criticise the band – especially given the proximity of the set to the murder of the right-wing activist, Charlie Kirk, earlier this month.
“Saw a friend’s video from Riot Fest—GWAR mock-beheaded Elon Musk on stage,” one account shared on X/Twitter, sparking the debate against the band. “That’s not edgy, it’s grotesque and reckless and normalizes violence against a real person. This is not okay. Riot Fest and GWAR crossed a major line.”
Saw a friend’s video from Riot Fest—GWAR mock-beheaded Elon Musk on stage. That’s not edgy, it’s grotesque and reckless and normalizes violence against a real person. This is not okay. Riot Fest and GWAR crossed a major line. #RiotFest #GWAR #ElonMusk @RiotFest @gwar @elonmusk @X pic.twitter.com/ngr0GRVbP9
— karen (@hottakekaren) September 20, 2025
Another chimed in, saying: “The left is truly sick […] During Saturday’s show, a mannequin dressed like Elon Musk was presented wearing a ball cap and black DOGE t-shirt. The mannequin was soon beheaded by one of the band members using a sword. A stream of fake blood shot out of the figure’s neck after the sword chop. The band also eviscerated a Donald Trump figure during the concert.”
A third shared: “Gwar has been long gone for some time just to resurface like this!? How desperate are they to defile what looks like Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” while another replied, “The Far-Left Democrat Progressives call this entertainment. Evil likes to shock, Evil thinks it is funny to show how it likes to deal with people who do not agree with them. Evil loses in the End.”
Criticism also came from outlets like Brietbart and New York Post, who have both posted updates and articles about the Riot Fest performance. A representative then shared a statement with the latter, dismissing claims made against them.
Heavy Metal Band Gwar Stages Assassination of Donald Trump, Elon Musk Decapitation at Chicago Concert
The left is truly sick!
The band’s performance at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Saturday raised eyebrows once the spectacles of the political mock murders hit social media.
During… pic.twitter.com/QAPu5gZeSq
— NWRain-Judi (@RYboating) September 22, 2025
👹GWAR👹
Gwar has been long gone for some time
just to resurface like this!?How desperate are they to defile what looks like
Elon Musk and Donald Trump! pic.twitter.com/ig8OlFV3mn— Jakey (@JacobBaker613) September 21, 2025
Messed up. Selling politics with music, or the other way around in this case.
— JustX (@iSpaceXplorer) September 21, 2025
THIS IS HORRIBLE!!!!!
— Liliana Rodriguez Morillo (@HuracanMorillo) September 22, 2025
“Normalizing violence? Humans don’t need GWAR for that. There is nothing normal about the Looney Toon violence acted out on a GWAR stage,” they said. “GWAR is absurdist spectacle. GWAR is to violence what the New York Post is to journalism. Ridiculous.”
It’s worth noting that the tweet that seemed to start the debate about GWAR’s on stage antics may have come from someone in the band’s close circles too, and is being used as a way to rage-bait people online and get more conversation going about the performance.
This is because the account, which originally shared the footage of the show and called the members “grotesque and reckless”, comes from a suspicious user with the handle @hottakekaren, and the bio of that account describes themself as “GWAR’s biggest fan”.
The discussion around GWAR and Donald Trump comes as the band’s own Berzerker Blothar hit out at the US government earlier this summer over proposed cuts to public media.
Blothar with a very important message about public media. Public media is in danger. Go to https://t.co/jYxXw24S35 to learn how you can urge Congress to save public media. Call your senators. Make a difference. pic.twitter.com/uItxiEiubc
— GWAR (@gwar) July 14, 2025
In May, Trump signed an executive order that would end the federal funding for organisations including National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). He said that the bill would save $1.1billion, and argued that NPR and PBS are “biased media” that do not offer “fair, accurate, unbiased and nonpartisan news coverage”.
Defenders of public media, on the other hand, argue that it serves as the only media source for many rural, Native American and island communities, with more than 44million people relying on public radio every week and public TV reaching over 160million people annually.
Berzerker Blothar spoke out with fans amid the debate, and urged them to do their bit to block the bill as it would “take away art and culture or at least access to that from the lives of people who need it and benefit from it.”