American pop sensation Ariana Grande has publicly demanded that President Donald Trump‘s administration stop using her music to soundtrack its political messaging.
The dispute ignited after the White House uploaded a TikTok video earlier this week to promote its hardline immigration policies. The clip features federal agents detaining and handcuffing individuals while Grande’s 2024 hit track «Bye» plays in the background.
A fiery exchange
Taking directly to the comments section of the official White House post on Thursday, the Grammy-winning artist expressed her outrage. She pleaded with the administration to never associate her work with what she described as «barbaric, inhumane and heinous nonsense».
According to an insider close to the singer, her management team is urgently exploring methods to have the audio stripped from the social media upload as quickly as possible.
The administration swiftly fired back at the Academy Award-nominated star. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson flipped the singer’s own words in a sharply worded rebuttal, stating that the truly «barbaric, inhumane and heinous» acts were those committed by criminals who have harmed or killed innocent American citizens.
A history of political friction
This latest clash is not the first time Grande has voiced her disapproval of the current U.S. leadership. Last year she took to Instagram to challenge the electorate, directly asking voters if their lives had genuinely improved since Trump secured his second non-consecutive term in office.
The incident also highlights the broader digital strategy employed by the president’s communications team. The administration maintains a highly active and often provocative presence across various social media platforms. Staffers frequently pair trending audio and chart-topping hits with short visual montages designed to highlight the president’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promises.
Recent White House videos have utilised popular tracks to soundtrack intense footage of strict border crackdowns and immigration enforcement, United States military operations directed at Iran and the high-profile arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
