In brief
Ariana Grande publicly demanded the White House cease using her 2024 hit Bye in a TikTok reel showcasing border enforcement. The commission of the clip has been criticized as barbaric, with Grande labeling the use of her music as heinous nonsense. Following her comment, the video was muted and the caption removed, sparking backlash. The request follows a pattern of artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA, Celine Dion and Beyoncé insisting that Trump's team not use their music to further immigration policy. The incident occurs amid Trump’s approval of a $70bn immigration‑budget package for the remainder of his term.
Pop star Ariana Grande has publicly requested that the White House cease using her 2024 hit Bye as the soundtrack to a TikTok reel promoting the administration's immigration policies.
The clip, posted by the White House on Monday, showed border agents placing handcuffs on refugees, with Grande’s song looping in the background. She called the use of her music “heinous nonsense” and a “barbaric, inhuman, inhumane” scenario.
After her comment, the video was muted and the caption rescinded—an action that sparked a wave of social‑media criticism. The White House spokesperson defended the implementation, saying that the “barbaric” elements were the criminal aliens hurting American citizens.
Grande joins a growing list of artists—including Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA, Céline Dion and Beyoncé—who have demanded that Trump’s team not use their music to advance an immigration agenda, after other authorities used her work in presidential promotional clips.
The White House video comes amid Trump's approval of a $70 billion immigration‑budget package that funds the remaining two-and‑a‑half years of his term.
