Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. on Sept. 7, 2025. Credit - Mike Coppola—Getty Images/MTV
"Have you ever tried this one?"pop singer Sabrina Carpenter's voice asks over a video of ICE agents chasing and detaining immigrants that the White House posted on social media on Tuesday, the latest in an apparent campaign to use pop-culture references to promote the Trump Administration's agenda.
Carpenter, however, did not like whatever the White House was trying to do. "this video is evil and disgusting," Carpenterreplied to the post on X. "Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda."
The White House has not taken down the video or removed the sound as of Wednesday, but spokesperson Abigail Jackson told TIME in a statement: "Here's a Short n' Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter," making a reference to the singer's 2024 album. "We won't apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?"
The White House and other federal agencies and departments during President Donald Trump's second-term Administration have embraced pop music, memes, and even AI-generated images on official accounts.
"Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we can't post banger memes," the White House'sX account posted in July.
But Carpenter isn't the first—and likely won't be the last—to object to her work being co-opted by politics she disagrees with.
Unwilling participants in political messaging
Trump has faced pushback from artists for using their music in his presidential campaigns and even first term, but it has not deterred his Administration from aggressively posting videos with music by pop artists, including some who have publicly spoken out against him.
While legally challenging the use of a songcan be costly and difficult, many artists have chosen to raise their objections publicly to inform fan bases and listeners of their political stance.
In November, singer Olivia Rodrigo,TIME's 2021 Entertainer of the Year, shot back at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after it used her 2023 song, "All-American Bitch," as the backing track fora video urging illegal immigrants to self-deport. On Instagram, Rodrigocommented, "don't ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda," to which the DHS responded cheekily with a reference to Rodrigo's song lyrics: "America isgrateful all the timefor our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice."
In October, singer-songwriter Kenny Logginscalled outthe "unauthorized use" of his 1986 song, "Danger Zone," inan AI-generated videoTrump posted on Truth Social. In the video, Trump flew on a jet emblazoned with "KING TRUMP" while donning a crown and dropping feces over New Yorkers, in apparent response toNo Kings Protestsacross the country. The video with the sound remains on Trump's Truth Social platform.
"Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied," Loggins said in a statement to the media, adding that he was seeking the immediate removal of his song from the video. The White House reportedly responded to questions fromNPRabout the use of the song with a photo of actors Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards from the 1986 filmTop Gunand overlayed text reading, "I feel the need for speed."
The same month, rock band MGMTmanaged to get taken down a DHS video postof federal agents arresting anti-ICE protesters that used the band's 2017 song "Little Dark Age" as a backing track, alongside the caption: "End of the Dark Age, beginning of the Golden Age." A Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown request was apparently filed, and the videowas taken down on X, while it remainsavailable on Instagrambut without sound.
Another rock band, Blue Öyster Cult, reacted to Trump's use of their 1976 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in anAI-generated videoin which Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought was depicted as the Grim Reaperpursuing mass layoffs of federal workers and shutting down "Democratic" agenciesduring theU.S.'s longest-ever government shutdown. In astatement on social media, the band clarified that it was "not contacted or notified in advance" but that the copyright is "100% owned by SONY MUSIC." The video with the sound remains on Trump's Truth Social platform.
British pop singer Jess Glynne also had her 2015 bop "Hold My Hand," whichbecame an internet sensationthis year,used by the White House to promote deportationsback in July. Ina statement to the media, Glynne said she felt "sick" and "devastated" that her song was being used to promote "division and hate," explaining: "Hold My Hand was written about love, support, and standing by someone through everything – it's meant to offer hope and empowerment. Using it to promote something I fundamentally disagree with goes completely against the message of the song." Jet2, an airline whose use of the song in a holiday advertisement went viral and was what was actually used as the backing sound of the White House video,also expressed disappointment, saying the use was "not endorsed by us in any way" and the company was "very disappointed to see our brand being used to promote government policy such as this."
Some artists, however, have largely kept publicly silent about the use of their songs.Notably, Taylor Swift,TIME's 2023 Person of the Yearwho has at other timesbeen hawkishaboutunsanctioned useof her music and hascalled out Trump before for falsely implying her endorsement, has not issued any statement after she had her songs from her latest albumThe Life of a Showgirlused inWhite House materials.
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