Throughout February, a song titled ‘Hostile Government Takeover’ has been taking over TikTok. Here’s everything to know about it.
Since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, many who oppose his policies have turned to art and music as ways to express their feelings and resilience.
One notable voice in this wave is Todd, known online as AGiftFromTodd, whose viral TikTok song has struck a chord with a lot of people.
In a video filmed in his kitchen, Todd delivered a sharp critique through his lyrics: “We’re in the middle of a hostile government takeover / I wanna talk about it but I’ll be late for work / And if you’re saying ‘wait a minute, who we have to stop this?’ / We had one, but you didn’t want that lady in office.
“Now that we’re all part of a Nigerian prince scam / Surprise, surprise, it end up being a white man / Oh, I just wanna know what the hell do I do? Probably drink.”
The video amassed over 5.3 million views on TikTok and 5.7 million plays on Instagram. Viewers are obsessed with the catchy tune, with one writing, “Can we bring ring tones back?”
Another commented, “Get this on SoundCloud so you can get paid for the sound. This is going to be the background sound for sooo many posts.”
Todd didn’t stop there, as he later filmed a four-part harmony version of the song. The popular track has even inspired an EDM remix by artist Vinny Marchi, which has since been released across multiple music streaming platforms.
In a follow-up clip posted just 24 hours after the original song, Todd expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support, calling the reaction “absolutely nuts”.
He said: “I am going to remake it and put it out on Spotify, Apple Music, all that. I’m just waiting for SoundCloud to give me the Artist Pro account and approve me for a Spotify and Apple Music account, and then once that happens, I’ll remake the song.”
“Wow, just an outpouring of love I didn’t expect… people doing EDM remixes and adding your harmonies and all that,” the TikToker added.
The tune also gained even more attention after John Oliver shared it during the Season 12 premiere of Last Week Tonight, calling it the “catchiest song ever written.”
This isn’t the first time a homemade TikTok song has gone super viral. In 2024, Paul Russell’s catchy ‘Lil Boo Thang’ topped charts around the world.
