Ariana Grande Tells Trump: “Never Use My Music Again”
The singer rebuked Team Trump for using her hit in an anti-trans TikTok -- and her label had the audio removed.
For the second time this summer, Ariana Grande has rebuked President Donald Trump’s administration for using her music in a social media post.
The latest dispute erupted after the Team Trump account added Grande’s 2024 hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” to a TikTok post that repurposed one of its lyrics.
The post quotes the lyric “Me and my truth we sit in silence…” before adding: “…men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports.”
The caption reads: “This shouldn’t be controversial!” and includes the hashtags “#trump #arianagrande #maga.” By tagging Grande, the account appeared to be deliberately provoking the “Hate That I Made You Love Me” and “Petal” singer, who has advocated for the transgender community and previously objected to the Trump administration’s use of her music.
Grande responded in a since-deleted comment: “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.”
According to Deadline, Grande’s label, Republic Records, worked to have the song removed from the clip. By Monday, the audio had been disabled, with viewers who attempted to play it receiving the message: “The sound isn’t available.”
In June, Grande objected after the Trump White House used her song “Bye” in a pro-ICE video showing border agents handcuffing people.
“Please do not use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande wrote at the time. The audio was later removed from that video as well.
Grande is not the only artist to object to the Trump administration using their music in social media posts promoting the president’s political agenda. The administration and affiliated accounts have repeatedly used songs despite artists’ objections, sometimes tagging the musicians or including their names in hashtags in apparent attempts to provoke liberals.
According to Deadline, artists who have objected to the White House using their music include Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Katy Perry, Kesha, Radiohead, Noah Kahan, Jess Glynne, and Kenny Loggins.
Examples of artists who have balked at the White House’s use of their music include: Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Katy Perry, Kesha, Radiohead, Noah Kahan, Jess Glynne, and Kenny Loggins, among others, as reported by Deadline.
Swift, in particular, has been targeted by the Trump administration since endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Earlier this month, Team Trump posted a TikTok video of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks, set to Swift’s song “August.”
“I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song! #taylorswift #maga #august,” the text accompanying the video states, suggesting that its creators anticipated an objection from Swift, who closely guards her music and brand.
Swift’s song has since been removed without public comment from the artist or her label and replaced with a country-style song featuring the lyrics: “I love Trump, I love Trump, Make America Great Again.”
Another post featuring lyrics from Swift’s song “Father Figure” over images of Trump now displays the same “This sound isn’t available” message as the post that used Grande’s music, according to CNN.
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