Ariana Grande Criticizes White House for Using Her Song in ICE Deportation Video
Pop star Ariana Grande publicly condemned the Trump White House on Thursday for using her 2024 song 'Bye' in a TikTok video depicting ICE agents arresting and handcuffing people, writing in the comments that the administration should 'not ever' use her music for 'barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.' The White House had posted the video on Monday with the caption 'Bye-bye — President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history,' and the audio was subsequently muted after Grande's objection, while her comment was also removed from the post. The incident is part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration using popular music without artists' consent in immigration-related social media content, drawing repeated objections from musicians including Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and SZA.
On Monday, June 9, 2026, the White House posted a 14-second TikTok video showing ICE officers handcuffing and arresting people, set to Ariana Grande's 2024 song 'Bye,' with a caption claiming Trump had 'delivered the most secure border in history.' Grande responded on Thursday by commenting directly on the post: 'Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F— ICE.' Her comment, confirmed by her spokesperson to Variety, was subsequently hidden or deleted from the post, and the audio was muted shortly after she objected. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded: 'We'll say this one last time: what's actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.' The incident follows Trump signing a bill approving more than $70 billion in funding for immigration agencies, and comes amid a long-running pattern of the administration using artists' music without authorization — with Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Kenny Loggins, Beyoncé, ABBA, and Céline Dion among those who have previously objected. The Guardian noted that some observers, including SZA, have characterized the practice as a deliberate trolling strategy by the White House to generate media attention. On Friday, Grande also launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, one of whose grantees supports legal representation for immigrants facing detention and deportation.
What's missing
The legal status of the White House's use of the song — whether it constitutes copyright infringement or falls under a blanket license — is not addressed in any of the sources, despite being a recurring question in similar past incidents involving other artists.
How coverage differed
Right-leaning outlets such as Fox News, the Daily Wire, and the New York Post framed the story primarily around the White House's rebuttal, with the Daily Wire headlining it as the White House 'owning' Grande and Breitbart describing her as 'left-wing' and characterizing her reaction as a 'huff.' Left-leaning and centrist outlets such as Rolling Stone, The Guardian, HuffPost, and the BBC gave more prominence to Grande's objection and the broader pattern of unauthorized music use, with The Guardian explicitly framing the White House's behavior as a calculated social media trolling strategy.
What different sources said
- Fox NewsRight
White House fires back at Ariana Grande after she told them to never use her music in ICE deportation video
- BBC US & CanadaCenter
Do not use my music, Ariana Grande tells White House
- ReutersCenter
Ariana Grande to White House: Don't use my music for 'heinous nonsense'
- VarietyCenter
Ariana Grande Slams Trump’s White House for Using Her Song to Promote ICE Deportations: ‘Barbaric, Inhumane, Heinous Nonsense’
- CBCLeft
Ariana Grande tells Trump administration to stop using her music for 'barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense'
- TMZCenter
Ariana Grande Slams White House For Using Her Music To Promote Immigration Arrests
- Rolling StoneLeft
Ariana Grande Demands White House Stop Using Her Song for ‘Barbaric’ ICE Video
- ForbesCenter
Ariana Grande Blasts White House Over TikTok Post Using Her Song ‘Bye’
- BBCCenter
Ariana Grande calls White House clip featuring her song 'barbaric'
- New York PostRight
White House fires back at Ariana Grande after she told them to never use her music in ICE deportation video
Ariana Grande rebukes White House for using her music in ‘barbaric, inhumane’ ICE video
- HuffPostLeft
'F**k ICE': Ariana Grande Goes Off On White House After They Pull Annoyingly Familiar Move
- NewserCenter
Ariana Grande to WH: 'Please Do Not Ever Use My Music'
- Washington TimesRight
Ariana Grande tells White House to stop using her music to promote ICE
- CNN WorldCenter
Ariana Grande tells White House to stop using her music
- BuzzFeedCenter
People Are Applauding Ariana Grande’s Response To The Trump Administration Using Her Song To Promote ICE
- EuronewsCenter
“Do not ever use my music”: Ariana Grande slams the White House over ICE video
- Global News CanadaCenter
Ariana Grande condemns White House use of her song to push ‘heinous nonsense’
- CTV NewsCenter
Ariana Grande to White House: Don’t use my music for ‘heinous nonsense’
- BreitbartFar Right
Ariana Grande Slams Trump White House Use of Her Music to Promote ICE Deportations: ‘Barbaric, Inhumane, Heinous Nonsense’
- Daily WireRight
White House Owns Ariana Grande Over Absurd ICE Video Criticism
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