Pop superstar Ariana Grande has publicly condemned the use of her music by the White House, specifically targeting a TikTok video produced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The video, which featured Grande’s 2024 track ‘Bye,’ depicted federal agents conducting arrests and handcuffing individuals, sparking an immediate and forceful response from the artist.
In a comment left on the official post, Grande demanded that the administration cease using her intellectual property in connection with what she described as “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” While the comment is no longer visible to the public, a spokesperson for the singer confirmed its authenticity to industry outlets, noting that the team is actively exploring legal avenues to ensure the music’s removal from the promotional material.
The White House has since responded to the controversy. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued a statement to the press, pivoting the criticism back toward the administration’s immigration policy. “We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens,” Jackson stated.
This confrontation marks a continuation of the friction between Grande and the current administration. In September 2025, the singer utilized her platform to amplify activist Matt Bernstein’s critique of ICE raids and the administration’s rhetoric regarding the transgender community. That instance also drew a direct response from the White House, with Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai dismissing the singer’s concerns in a statement to the media.
Grande is far from the only artist to take issue with the unauthorized use of their work by the Trump administration. Throughout the 2024 campaign and beyond, a growing list of musicians—including Céline Dion and the estate of soul icon Isaac Hayes—have issued cease-and-desist orders or public statements to distance themselves from the administration’s messaging. The recurring nature of these disputes highlights the ongoing tension between the entertainment industry and the executive branch over the use of creative works in political contexts.