The White House used Ariana Grande's 2024 song "Bye" in a TikTok video from June 8 to 11 that showed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining immigrants [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Grande, 32, posted a comment on the video on June 11 saying, "Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense" [1, 2, 8, 3, 4, 5, 9, 6, 7]. After her objection, the White House removed the audio from the video and deleted her comment [1, 2, 8, 9].
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded by saying, "What’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens" [1, 8, 3, 5, 9, 6, 7]. Jackson reiterated the statement in follow-up comments [5].
The White House has previously used popular songs in social media videos to promote Trump administration policies, including immigration enforcement [1, 2, 8, 3, 5, 6, 7]. Other artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, ABBA, Céline Dion, and SZA have objected to their music being used in pro-Trump or immigration enforcement videos [1, 2, 8, 3]. SZA criticized the White House for "rage baiting artists for free promo" calling it "PEAK DARK ..inhumanity + shock and awe tactics" [2].
Grande has been openly critical of Trump administration immigration policies and other issues such as transgender bathroom bans [1, 8, 9, 7]. She is preparing to release her eighth studio album "Petal" on July 31, 2026, with a current hit single [2].
The White House recently approved more than $70 billion in funding for US immigration agencies to cover the remaining 2.5 years of Trump's presidential term [1].
The White House's next communication steps on this matter have not been announced publicly.
