Conor Oberst has said he finds it “almost impossible” to write directly about the Trump era, arguing that its perceived absurdity makes satire and conventional protest songwriting difficult. The Bright Eyes frontman’s comments matter because he was a prominent musical critic of George W. Bush and the Iraq war, and listeners have continued to ask whether he will produce a comparable song about Donald Trump.

Speaking on the New York Times’ Popcast, Oberst said the political climate influences everything he writes but that he has struggled to address it explicitly, describing it as an “avalanche of insanity”. He contrasted the present with the early 2000s, when Bright Eyes’ “When the President Talks to God” became associated with opposition to the Bush administration, and suggested that lowered social standards and fear may also be limiting protest music.