Highlights
- Ariana Grande publicly condemned the White House for using her song “Bye” in a TikTok ICE video.
- Grande called the administration’s content “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
- The White House fired back with a punny statement referencing Grande’s own song titles.
Ariana Grande is not letting this one slide.
The Grammy-winning pop star publicly called out the Trump administration Thursday after the White House used her 2024 hit “Bye” in a TikTok video depicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting and handcuffing people.
The White House posted the video to TikTok, pairing footage of ICE agents and other federal officers making arrests with Grande’s track from her Eternal Sunshine album. The accompanying caption read, “Bye-bye President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history,” a clear nod to the song selected for the clip.
Grande was not amused.
The singer went directly to the comment section of the post to register her objection, writing, “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” She also added a pointed two-word addendum directed at ICE itself, according to multiple outlets.
@whitehouse Bye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history
♬ original sound – The White House
The White House did not stay quiet.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai responded to Grande directly by leaning into her own discography. “Save your tears, Ariana. Because President Trump’s actions ended Joe Biden’s inflation crisis and are bringing in trillions in new investment,” he said.
Desai continued, “He even signed an executive order just like magic that paved the way for the FTC to crack down on Ticketmaster for ripping off Ariana Grande’s concert-going fans. Get well soon, Ariana!”
The references to her songs “Save Your Tears” and “Just Like Magic” were not lost on observers. The comment reinforces the fact that the Trump administration does not respect artists.
This is not the first time Grande has positioned herself in opposition to the current administration. In September 2025, she reshared a post to her Instagram that denounced the Trump administration for its ICE raids and transphobic rhetoric. The post, written by activist Matt Bernstein as a directed message to Trump supporters, posed the question: “It’s been 250 days. Now that immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed, now that trans people have been blamed for virtually everything and live in fear, now that free speech is on the brink of collapse for us all — has your life gotten better?”
That post drew a similar administration rebuke at the time.
Grande has just kicked off her Eternal Sunshine tour, which launched June 6, 2026, with 41 shows planned. The timing of the White House’s use of her music comes at a high-profile moment in her career.
The incident is far from isolated. Grande is the latest in a growing line of artists who have criticized the White House for unsanctioned use of their music, with Sabrina Carpenter, Kenny Loggins, and Olivia Rodrigo among those who have previously called out the administration for similar conduct.
Carpenter hit out at the White House in December 2025 after her song “Juno” was used to promote a series of ICE arrests. She publicly condemned the account for its post, describing it as “evil and disgusting” and declaring, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Other artists who have opposed the use of their music in pro-Trump social media posts include Adele, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Earth Wind and Fire, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, and Jack White.
The legal landscape surrounding the unauthorized use of music in political content has long been contested, with artists typically relying on cease-and-desist letters, public pressure, or platform reporting mechanisms rather than immediate litigation.
For now, Grande’s objection is on the record, and the administration’s response appears to be more trolling than retreat.
