With an increasing social media presence, the Trump administration has begun to use a plethora of artists’ music to affirm their messages and actions across platforms.
A number of artists have publicly stated their discomfort and anger with this use of their music.
According to American Studies lecturer Sara Polak, the Trump administration has begun to use social media more consistently as a part of its leadership.
“Social media has become a key tool of governing for Trump’s administration. He uses it both to make announcements and to drum up support for those announcements,” Polak said.
While some believe this can be a positive aspect of the government’s efforts to reach a younger audience, the administration has also faced criticism from musical artists.
According to Vanity Fair culture and society reporter Kase Wickman, a recent public example of this is seen through singer Sabrina Carpenter’s response to the White House’s post using her song “Juno.”
“In December 2025, the White House posted a video using Carpenter’s song “Juno” as the sonic backdrop to a montage of ICE officers detaining and arresting people,” Wickman said. “Carpenter responded on X [and said], ‘this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.’”
According to Spectrum News journalist Maddie Gannon, SZA and her music have also been nonconsensually featured in White House media.
“Singer-songwriter SZA became the latest high-profile example when she responded Wednesday to the use of her song “Big Boys” in a 30-second video posted to the White House X account promoting its immigration agenda,” Gannon said.
According to Gannon, SZA made her stance on the matter publicly clear as she responded to the video.
“‘White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity + shock and raw tactics,’ SZA wrote in a post on X about the video,” Gannon said. “‘She went on to call it ‘boring’ and echoed a term used just days before by another singer-songwriter, Sabrina Carpenter, in regards to the White House’s use of her own song in an immigration video, [calling it] ‘evil.”’
According to Wickman, the list of artists whose music has been used to promote ideals and messages that they do not affirm does not stop with Sabrina Carpenter and SZA. Artists including “the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Phil Collins” have also “told off” or “responded” to Trump’s use of their music, Wickman said.
According to Gannon, there are legal routes musicians and artists can take to combat the admission in this regard.
“Paul Szynol, a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School whose concentrations include media, art, entertainment, and technology, said generally an artist would have a legal pathway to sue the U.S. government for copyright infringement in the Court of Federal Claims if one wished to do so,” Gannon said.