Ariana Grande has once again criticized the Trump administration for featuring her music in a recent social media post. The Team Trump TikTok account included Grande’s song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” in a video that showcased President Trump speaking at a podium with text quoting lyrics from Grande’s 2024 hit track.
In response to the post, Grande commented on the video, demanding that her music not be used again and calling out the perceived inaccuracies in the message. The sound on the post was subsequently disabled, and Grande’s comment was apparently removed, although screenshots of it circulated among viewers.
This incident follows Grande’s previous objection in mid-June when her song “Bye” was used in a TikTok video related to immigration policy, prompting her to denounce the administration’s actions as “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
Grande joins a long list of artists, including Taylor Swift, ABBA, and Beyoncé, who have voiced objections to the Trump team using their music without permission. Some artists have taken legal action or issued cease and desist orders to prevent their music from being associated with political campaigns or social media posts. Swift and Bad Bunny have successfully had their music removed from Team Trump’s videos through copyright claims.
While political campaigns can obtain licensing packages to use music legally, individual artists have the right to opt out of such usage for various reasons. Despite licensing agreements, artists still retain the ability to challenge unauthorized use of their music.
Overall, the controversy surrounding the unauthorized use of music by the Trump administration continues to be a point of contention for many artists, prompting ongoing debates over intellectual property rights and artistic control.