- The White House posted a TikTok video on June 9 promoting its immigration enforcement and deportation efforts under President Trump. It showed clips of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents and other officers making arrests/handcuffing people, set to Ariana Grande’s 2024 song “Bye” (from her album Eternal Sunshine). The caption played on the song: “Bye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history.”
- Ariana Grande responded directly in the comments on the video, writing: “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. Fck ice.”
- The song audio was later removed from the video after her objection.
This fits a broader pattern of artists (across genres) objecting to politicians or campaigns using their music without permission. Many have publicly pushed back or pursued legal/licensing routes in the past.
Context and reactions:
- This comes after earlier back-and-forth in late 2025, where Grande criticized Trump administration policies on social media and the White House responded by trolling her with puns from her song titles (e.g., “Save Your Tears”).
- Supporters of her stance praised her for speaking out, while critics (including some White House spokespeople and conservative commentators) pushed back, defending the video and the policies.
