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American pop star Ariana Grande told U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday to stop using her music to promote its policies.
Her comment came after the White House shared a video on TikTok earlier this week highlighting its immigration policy.
The video, which depicts federal agents arresting and handcuffing people, features the Grammy Award-winning singer’s 2024 song Bye.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande wrote in a comment posted on the White House video on TikTok on Thursday.
Responding to Grande, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “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.”
ABBA has joined a growing list of artists demanding that the Trump campaign stop using their music. Although Trump asserts he has a licence to play their songs, some legal experts say artists have the right to challenge this use.
A source close to Grande said her team is looking into how to remove the music from the video as soon as possible.
Grande, a singer and Academy Award-nominated actress, was critical of the administration last year after sharing a post on Instagram asking people who voted for Trump if their lives had gotten better since he returned to office.
It’s not the first time an artist’s music has been used by the Trump administration without authorization.
Neil Young, John Fogerty, Phil Collins, Panic! At The Disco and the estates of Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Prince have all objected to it, and some have filed lawsuits to stop it.
Trump, now in his second non-consecutive term, has an active social media presence. Members of his communications team often post short videos that feature popular songs to illustrate the president’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promises.
Some of the videos have featured hit songs while depicting images showing Trump’s immigration crackdown, U.S. military operations against Iran and the arrest of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
