Ariana Grande rebukes White House for using her music in ‘barbaric, inhumane’ ICE video

Ariana Grande has rebuked Donald Trump’s White House over use of her music in a video documenting the detaining of immigrants.

Earlier this week, the White House posted a montage of ICE agents handcuffing. detaining people, with the caption “Bye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history”. It was soundtracked by Grande’s 2024 song Bye.

Grande commented on the post: “Please do not use my music in relation to this barbaric. inhumane, heinous nonsense.” The music has since been removed.

Grande is the latest in a long line of artists who have condemned the White House for using their music. often paired with ICE-related or pro-Trump content on social media.

Sabrina Carpenter called a video that used her music “evil. disgusting … do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda”. When the White House used her song Hold My Hand after it became a popular meme format, Jess Glynne said she felt “sick”. added that her music was “never about division or hate”.

In October 2025, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself flying a fighter jet. pouring brown effluent over protesters from the anti-Trump No Kings movement, to a soundtrack of Kenny Loggins’ Top Gun hit Danger Zone. Loggins asked for it to be removed. said: “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us.”

These, along with the Grande incident. many others, are a calculated ploy by the White House to enrage often left-leaning musicians: a campaign of trolling by an administration alive to the soft power of social media.

When asked by Variety for comment about its use of music by Taylor Swift in a November 2025 video. the White House replied: “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like Variety would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played.”

Chart-topping R&B star SZA, whose music was also used by the White House against her wishes, highlighted the practice, writing: “White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK.inhumanity +shock. aw tactics.Evil n Boring.”

Grande is meanwhile preparing the release of her eighth studio album, Petal, on 31 July. Its lead single Hate That I Made You Love Me is currently the most-streamed song daily on Spotify globally,. shot straight to the top of the charts in the UK and US in its opening week.