US pop star Ariana Grande has asked the White House not to use her music, after it did so in a social media video promoting its immigration policies.
The reel shared Monday on TikTok depicts border agents placing people in handcuffs, with Grande’s 2024 hit Bye as a soundtrack. It is captioned: “Bye-bye… President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history”.
Grande commented on the post: “Please do not use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told US media: “What’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”
The White House video comes after Donald Trump signed a bill into law approving more than $70bn (£52bn) in funding for immigration agencies for the remaining two-and-a-half years of his presidential term.
The video shows officers placing handcuffs on people, ushering them into cars and then placing them into detention centres.
After Grande replied to the post, the video was muted and her comment removed. Multiple users then commented under the post noting that Grande’s comment was missing and that the sound had been muted.
The Wicked actress joins a growing list of artists who have demanded that Trump’s team do not use their music to promote the president’s policy agenda.
Last year, Sabrina Carpenter wrote “do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda” after a White House clip used part of her 2024 song Juno in a compilation showing ICE operations.
ABBA, Céline Dion and Beyoncé were among those insisting Trump’s campaign not use their music during his re-election bid in 2024, including at campaign rallies.
By BBC News
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