Ariana Grande Tells Trump Team “Never Use My Music Again” After TikTok Sparks Backlash

Ariana Grande has publicly rebuked President Donald Trump’s team after one of her biggest songs was used in a political TikTok featuring messaging about transgender people and women’s sports.

The singer responded directly beneath the Team Trump post after her 2024 hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” was used as its soundtrack. Grande made her objection unmistakable, writing, “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.” The confrontation marks the second time in just a few months that she has objected to the Trump administration or its affiliated accounts using her music.

The Team Trump TikTok Used One of Grande’s Biggest Hits

The controversy began after the Team Trump TikTok account shared a video featuring Trump walking toward a podium.

Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” from her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine, initially played over the footage. The video incorporated the song lyric “Me and my truth we sit in silence” before displaying political messaging stating that men cannot have babies and should not compete in women’s sports.

The post’s caption said the position “shouldn’t be controversial” and included hashtags referencing both Trump and Grande.

Grande clearly wanted no association between her song and the message.

Grande Delivered a Two Sentence Response

Rather than releasing a lengthy statement, Grande went directly to the comments.

“Never use my music again,” she wrote, before adding, “Also, your truth is false.”

Screenshots of the response subsequently circulated online. Some reports noted that her comment later appeared to have been removed or hidden.

The dispute also moved beyond Grande’s personal response. Deadline reported that her label was working to have the song removed from the TikTok.

Reports later indicated that the audio was no longer available on the post, although the video itself remained online.

It Wasn’t Grande’s First Clash Over Her Music

The latest disagreement came only about two months after Grande strongly objected to another Trump administration social media post.

In June, the White House used her song “Bye,” also from Eternal Sunshine, in a TikTok promoting immigration enforcement. The video showed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detaining and handcuffing people.

Grande condemned the use of her song and asked that her music not be connected to what she described as “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” She also expressed her opposition to ICE.

The audio was subsequently removed from that TikTok, with the platform displaying a message that the sound was unavailable.

The White House Previously Responded to Grande

Grande’s June criticism prompted a direct response from the administration.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the immigration video in a statement, arguing that the administration considered crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to be the real example of behavior deserving the descriptions Grande had used.

The administration therefore did not retreat from the substance of its immigration messaging, even though Grande’s music ultimately disappeared from the post.

As of the initial reports about the latest “We Can’t Be Friends” controversy, Variety said a White House representative had not immediately responded to its request for comment.

Grande Has Made Her Political Views Clear Before

Grande’s reaction shouldn’t be viewed as an isolated dispute over licensing.

She has publicly supported LGBTQ+ rights for years and has previously criticized policies associated with Trump and his administration. Her latest response therefore challenged both the use of her work and the political message accompanying it.

At the same time, the episode highlights a recurring tension between musicians and political organizations over songs used in rallies, campaign videos and social media posts.

Artists can publicly object to those associations even when questions surrounding the legal authorization of a particular use are more complicated. Reports about Grande’s case focused on her objection and her team’s efforts to remove the music rather than establishing that the use was legally unauthorized.

Other Musicians Have Objected to Trump Using Their Work

Grande is far from the first major recording artist to object to having music associated with Trump or his political messaging.

Over the years, artists and rights holders connected with acts including Rihanna, Adele and the Rolling Stones have publicly challenged or opposed uses of their music associated with Trump. More recent disputes have involved other contemporary artists whose songs appeared in administration social media content.

Variety reported that Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny had tracks removed from posts, while Noah Kahan objected after his music was used by the White House in July.

The disputes demonstrate why music selection can become politically significant. A familiar song can create the impression of an association between an artist and a political message even when the artist wants nothing to do with it.

Grande’s Message Leaves Little Room for Confusion

Whatever happens with the TikTok itself, Grande’s position is now exceptionally clear.

Her objection in June established that she didn’t want her music used to promote the administration’s immigration agenda. Her latest response goes further by broadly telling Trump’s team never to use her music again.

The dispute may have started with a few seconds of a hugely popular song, but Grande quickly transformed it into a public rejection of the political message attached to it.

This time, “We Can’t Be Friends” proved to be an unusually appropriate title.

Featured Image: instagram.com/arianagrande, Shutterstock