Topline
Ariana Grande blasted the White House on Thursday for using one of her songs in a TikTok post, according to multiple outlets, demanding it “not ever use” her music for “barbaric” content.
Key Facts
Grande made the demand in a comment on a TikTok post from the White House that depicted people being arrested by immigration agents and featured her 2024 song “Bye.”
The comment, which Reuters first reported, said, “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
The comment did not appear to be visible on the post as of Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EDT, though a spokesperson for Grande confirmed to Variety the singer left the comment.
Grande’s team is trying to remove the audio from the post, Reuters and Variety reported.
Chief Critic
“We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Forbes in an email.
Key Background
Grande, who supported Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, has criticized the Trump administration in the past. Last year, she reposted content on Instagram that blasted Trump’s immigration policies, provoking a sharp response from White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai. Grande is the latest music artist to protest against the Trump administration’s use of their music in its social media posts. Jack White responded to a 2024 video of Trump boarding a plane to “Seven Nation Army,” saying, “Don’t even think about using my music” and threatening a lawsuit. Beyonce’s label threatened a cease-and-desist against the Trump campaign that same year after it used her song “Freedom” in a social media post.
Further Reading
Tom Petty’s Family Send Trump Cease And Desist Over His Use Of ‘I Won’t Back Down’ At Tulsa Rally (Forbes)