For the second time this summer, Ariana Grande has criticized the Trump administration for using her music in a social media post. The Team Trump account featured her song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” in a TikTok post that tagged the Grammy-winning singer. The post displayed President Trump approaching a podium to speak, with text from Grande’s 2024 hit track overlaid on the video. Grande responded in the comments, demanding that her music not be used again and calling the content false.
Following Grande’s objections, the sound was removed from the post, and her comment was apparently deleted, though screenshots of it circulated online. This incident comes after Grande previously condemned the administration in mid-June for using her song “Bye” in a TikTok video related to immigration policy.
Grande’s reaction adds her to a long list of artists who have opposed the Trump team’s use of their music. Over the years, artists like Neil Young, John Fogerty, Queen, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, Beyoncé, and others have objected to their music being played at Trump events or featured in his social media content.
Some artists have taken legal action or issued cease and desist orders against the unauthorized use of their music. Swift and Bad Bunny, for instance, have swiftly taken steps to have their music removed or muted from Team Trump’s social videos through copyright infringement claims.
While political campaigns can obtain licenses to play songs legally, individual artists have the option to exclude their music for various reasons. Artists who have not opted out can still voice objections to the use of their music.