Ariana Grande has once again criticized the Trump administration for using her music on social media, marking the second instance this summer. This time, the Team Trump account featured her song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” in a TikTok post, directly tagging the Grammy-winning artist.
The post, uploaded by Trump’s team on Thursday, showed video clips of the president approaching a podium to speak, with overlaid text partially quoting lyrics from Grande’s popular 2024 track. The caption of the post stated, “This shouldn’t be controversial!” and included several hashtags, including Grande’s name.
In response, Grande expressed her disapproval in the comments section, stating, “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.” The sound was subsequently removed from the post, and Grande’s comment appeared to have been deleted, although screenshots of it were reposted by viewers.
This incident follows Grande’s criticism in mid-June when the administration used her song “Bye” in a TikTok video related to immigration policy, showing federal agents arresting individuals. Grande had vehemently objected to her music being associated with such actions.
Joining a long list of performers who have opposed the Trump team for using their music, Grande’s objections echo those of artists like Neil Young, John Fogerty, Queen, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, Beyoncé, as well as the estates of Leonard Cohen, Prince, and Tom Petty. These artists have all raised concerns over Trump’s unauthorized use of their music at rallies and in social media posts.
While political campaigns can obtain licenses to play music legally, individual artists have the option to exclude their songs from being used for specific reasons. Some artists, such as Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny, have taken swift action to prevent their music from being featured in Team Trump’s social media content, often citing copyright infringement claims.
In light of these ongoing disputes, it is evident that artists remain vigilant in protecting their creative works from unauthorized use in political contexts.