Overview
- The White House posted a short TikTok this week that paired footage of ICE agents making arrests with Ariana Grande’s 2024 song “Bye” and praised the administration’s border policies.
- Grande commented on the post that she forbids use of her music “in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” and her team moved to have the sound removed.
- After her objection the clip’s audio now shows “This sound isn't available” on TikTok and Grande’s comment is no longer publicly visible on the post.
- The video was framed alongside new enforcement funding, coming days after President Trump signed the Secure America Act on June 10 that allocated roughly $70 billion for immigration agencies.
- Reporters note this episode continues a pattern of musicians publicly opposing the administration’s use of pop songs in immigration and enforcement messaging, raising questions about artists’ rights, platform takedown mechanisms, and political communication.