Sabrina Carpenter calls White House video using her song ‘evil and disgusting’
By Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — The White House social media team is in hot water with one of the world’s biggest pop stars after using Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Juno” in a video depicting law enforcement apprehending individuals in apparent immigration actions.
The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter called the video “evil and disgusting.”
“Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter posted on X.
When reached for additional comment, a PR representative for Carpenter referred CNN to the singer’s social media post.
On tour, Carpenter does her own playful “arrests” during the “Juno” song with celebrities attending her shows, passing over a pair of pink fluffy handcuffs.
Doubling down, the White House used Carpenter’s own lyrics in a statement responding to her criticism.
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
The video using the song still up on X and TikTok as of late Tuesday afternoon.
This isn’t the first time the Trump White House has used artists’ songs without their consent, often employing an unserious tone on social media with memes and videos.
In a similar video posted by the Department of Homeland Security last month, media for one of Olivia Rodrigo’s songs, “All-American Bitch,” was disabled on Instagram, though it still appears on X.
The singer-songwriter slammed the use of her song in a since-removed reply. “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,” she wrote, according to Billboard and Rolling Stone.
The White House social media accounts also posted a video of the president with audio of singer Usher’s “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” — a reference to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte referring to President Donald Trump as “daddy” at a summit in the Netherlands. The media was ultimately “disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.”
And the White House TikTok account posted a video using Taylor Swift’s song “The Fate of Ophelia” with images of Trump administration officials.
However, Swift — whom Trump has personally attacked in the past — has stayed quiet on the use of the song. When the White House used the song last month, the singer’s representative did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé are among the artists over the years who have objected to the use of their music by Trump.
CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.
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