Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean take over White House briefing room
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Country stars Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean traded the stage for the White House briefing room Thursday, taking turns behind the podium ahead of their Washington, D.C., tour stop.
The visit quickly turned into a mock press briefing, with Bryan pretending to field questions as Aldean, his wife Brittany and others looked on.
A video shared by the Trump team on Instagram poked fun at Bryan’s turn behind the microphone ahead of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s upcoming departure.
“@lukebryan heard that there is an opening for Press Secretary 🤣 @karolineleavitt,” the account captioned the video.
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The clip begins with Aldean stepping away from the podium and switching places with Bryan, who walks up to the microphone as Brittany Aldean and others in the room look on, smiling.
Bryan then appeared to settle into the role, jokingly answering a question about a Texas agricultural issue.
“I think the screwworms are screwed,” Bryan said.
“We’ve immobilized sterile male flies,” he continued before enthusiastically pointing toward a woman in the room who applauded his answer. “See! I’ve been listening to our conversations!”
New World screwworms are a parasitic livestock threat, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has used sterile flies as part of efforts to combat their spread. Bryan reportedly met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during his visit to Washington, D.C.
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Country music stars Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean have been longtime friends for nearly two decades.(Terry Wyatt/ for ACM)
The country stars were in the nation’s capital for their co-headlining “Double Down Tour” show at Nationals Park. Bryan also reportedly spent time with Vice President JD Vance before he and Aldean stopped by the briefing room.
The Trump team’s press secretary joke comes after President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that Leavitt will leave her White House role at the end of August to spend more time with her family.
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“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Trump said Leavitt, who recently returned after giving birth to her second child, will remain one of his top outside advisers. She became the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary when she took the role at 27.
While Aldean has been outspoken about his support for Trump, Bryan has generally kept his political views out of the spotlight.
In 2022, the “American Idol” judge faced backlash after bringing then-Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis onstage during a Jacksonville concert following Hurricane Ian.
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Bryan responded at the time by emphasizing that the appearance was about helping hurricane victims rather than politics.
“I’ve generally stayed out of politics throughout my career,” Bryan shared to X, explaining that when a governor asks for help raising awareness for victims of a natural disaster, “you help.”
— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) October 30, 2022
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Bryan has also spoken about his reluctance to wade into controversial topics because of how quickly comments can take on a life of their own online.
During an October 2024 appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Bryan recalled an early-career interview that he believed was taken out of context and discussed his wariness of modern media coverage.
“They’ll take your five minutes right out of context,” Bryan said during the podcast.
Country music stars Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean visit the White House during a stop in Washington, D.C.(Frazer Harrison/ for ACM;Mehmet Eser/Anadolu
The three-hour episode aired Oct. 23, 2024.
Aldean, meanwhile, has made no secret of his relationship with Trump. The country singer has publicly called Trump a friend and, following the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, dedicated “Try That In A Small Town” to him during a concert. Aldean and Brittany also attended the 2024 Republican National Convention, where they were seated near Trump.
Thursday’s White House stop appeared considerably lighter, with the longtime friends using one of Washington’s most recognizable podiums for a little pre-show entertainment.
