Pop star Ariana Grande has criticised the White House after one of her songs was used in a social media video promoting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
The short 14-second TikTok clip, posted earlier this week, showed images of immigration enforcement officers, including ICE agents, arresting individuals as Grande’s 2024 track “Bye” played in the background. The sound has since been removed from the post.
The video was captioned with a message praising the administration’s border enforcement efforts, but it quickly drew backlash online, particularly after Grande publicly objected to the use of her music.
In a comment on the post, the singer urged officials not to associate her work with immigration enforcement content, describing the video as “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” The comment has since been hidden.
A White House spokesperson defended the post, arguing that the focus should be on individuals they described as “criminal illegal aliens,” rather than the criticism raised by the artist.
Grande, who has previously voiced her political views, has also been seen wearing an “ICE OUT” pin at public events, signalling her stance on immigration-related issues.
The incident adds to a growing list of disputes between political campaigns or government institutions and musicians over the use of copyrighted songs in political messaging. Artists including ABBA, Adele, and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty have previously objected to similar use of their music.
In another recent example, singer Olivia Rodrigo also criticised the use of her song in a federal immigration-related video, underscoring ongoing tensions between entertainers and political institutions over music rights and messaging.
