For the second time this summer, singer Ariana Grande has criticized the use of her music by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in a social media post. This instance involves the Team Trump account incorporating her track “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” in a TikTok post that tagged Grande. The post, uploaded on Thursday, featured President Trump walking up to a podium with text from Grande’s 2024 hit overlaid on the video. Grande responded in the comments section, demanding that her music not be used again. The post’s sound was subsequently disabled, and Grande’s comment was apparently removed but was reposted by 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. Numerous artists, including Taylor Swift and ABBA, have also voiced objections to the Trump team using their music in various posts and campaigns. Artists like Neil Young, John Fogerty, Queen, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, Beyoncé, and others have expressed disapproval of the administration’s use of their music. Some artists have taken legal action or issued cease and desist orders to prevent their music from being used in such contexts.
While political campaigns can obtain licenses to use music legally, individual artists can opt out of having their music included for various reasons. Artists who have not opted out still retain the right to object to the use of their music.