Ariana Grande, the American pop sensation, has demanded that the Trump administration stop using her music to promote its immigration enforcement policies.
The dispute erupted after the White House posted a video on its social media platform featuring Grande’s hit song “Bye,” set as the soundtrack to footage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arresting individuals identified as suspected undocumented immigrants.
The video showed scenes of handcuffing, detainee transport, and processing at detention centers, paired with an on-screen caption: “Bye-bye… President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history.”
Grande responded directly in the video’s now-deleted comment section, forcefully condemning the use of her music and calling the administration’s immigration crackdown “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” She wrote: “Please do not use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson rejected Grande’s criticism, asserting that the real acts of barbarity are committed by “criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.” In response to Grande’s objection, the White House muted the video’s audio, though the footage remains online.
Grande now joins a list of artists who have publicly opposed the Trump administration’s use of their music. In 2025, Sabrina Carpenter requested that the White House refrain from associating her work with what she called the president’s “inhumane agenda.” ABBA, Céline Dion, and Beyoncé have also issued similar objections. Last year, Grande also challenged Trump supporters, questioning whether his administration’s policies have improved their daily lives.
