When the President Talks to God

{{Short description|2005 Bright Eyes song}}

{{Infobox song

| name = When the President Talks to God

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Bright Eyes

| album =

| released = 2005

| recorded = 2005

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Indie folk, anti-folk, protest song, emo, lo-fi

| length = 2:36

| label = Saddle Creek LBJ-77

| writer = Conor Oberst

| producer =

| prev_title = Take It Easy (Love Nothing)

| prev_year = 2004

| next_title = First Day of My Life

| next_year = 2005

}}

"When the President Talks to God" is a protest song by Bright Eyes. It is a pointed political message directed towards George W. Bush and his policies. It was originally released as a free download on iTunes but was subsequently released as a promotional 7" vinyl and as a B-side to "First Day of My Life".{{Cite web |last=Creek |first=Saddle |title=Discography |url=https://saddle-creek.com/pages/discography |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Saddle Creek |language=en}}

On May 2, 2005, Conor Oberst performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

In June 2006, Oberst expressed that he was "over" the song from having played it too many times.{{cite news

| url = http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060602/bright_eyes_060602?s_name=&no_ads=

| title = 'Bright Eyes' singer baffled by Dylan comparisons

| work = CTV, Canadian Press

| date = 2006-06-02

| accessdate = 2007-08-19

}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

It won Song of the Year at the 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards.{{cite web

|url = http://www.plugawards.com/award_nominees_2006.php

|title = Plug 2006 Nominees/Winners

|publisher = PLUG Independent Music Awards

|year = 2006

|accessdate = 2007-08-19

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081220121612/http://www.plugawards.com/award_nominees_2006.php

|archivedate = 2008-12-20

}}

Early in the morning on December 19, 2006, the song was offered as a featured free download on the front page of the iTunes Store, but was removed within hours without explanation.