Overview
- The White House posted a short TikTok this week showing ICE agents arresting people that used Grande’s 2024 song “Bye” and celebrated the Secure America Act, a funding package for immigration enforcement.
- On Thursday Grande commented under the clip, writing “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” a remark her spokesperson confirmed but that was later not visible on the post.
- Grande’s team sought to have the audio removed and the TikTok remains live with the soundtrack muted or marked as unavailable, while the clip’s visuals and caption remain online.
- White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson issued a statement defending the video and Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai replied directly to Grande with a mocking response that referenced her song titles.
- The dispute follows a string of similar clashes since 2024 in which artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter objected to the administration’s use of their music, raising questions about consent, platform takedowns, and the politicization of popular songs.