Donald Trump's administration is facing fresh backlash after Olivia Rodrigo accused officials in Washington of using her song All-American B**** in a Department of Homeland Security video promoting ICE deportations, calling the move 'barbaric and cruel'.
The dispute centres on a DHS video posted in November 2025 that showed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining people of colour while Rodrigo's track played beneath a warning urging migrants to 'self-deport.' The clip has resurfaced as Rodrigo, now 23, repeated her objections in a new interview, saying she viewed the footage as a cynical misuse of her work to support a hardline deportation message.
Olivia Rodrigo has called out the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after her song ‘All‑American B*tch’ was used without her permission in a government video urging undocumented immigrants to self-deport. The video,… pic.twitter.com/yahHWmzUT5
— 24_7Reflections (@ColonSimeJphd8) June 4, 2026
Rodrigo Says She Was 'Deeply Disturbed'
Rodrigo said she was 'deeply disturbed' when she first saw the video, which was shared on official Department of Homeland Security channels under the Trump administration. In the footage, images of ICE agents moving in on detainees appear alongside the caption: 'LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don't, you will face the consequences.'
Over the top, Rodrigo's lyrics from All-American B*** play: 'All the time, I'm grateful all the time, I'm s*** and I'm kind, I'm pretty when I cry.' The song is an ironic take on the expectations placed on young women and, according to Rodrigo's account, was never licensed for use in government messaging.
'It was so deeply disturbing to see that propaganda,' she said in the interview published on Thursday. 'And the fact it was my song in there made me feel even more enraged.'
Olivia Rodrigo on ICE using her song “all-american b*tch” in a propaganda video:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 4, 2026
“It was so deeply disturbing… the fact it was my song in there made me feel even more enraged. What they’re doing is so awful and barbaric and cruel. I am really sad to be in a country that thinks… pic.twitter.com/7N6d6xp4Nz
The singer, best known for hits sch as good 4 u, went further, directly criticising the Trump administration's immigration tactics and the role of ICE. 'What they're doing is so awful and barbaric and cruel. I am really sad to be in a country that thinks that's okay,' she added.
There has been no detailed public explanation from the Trump administration or the Department of Homeland Security about how the video was approved or why that particular song was chosen. Without access to internal correspondence, Rodrigo's account of the process cannot be independently verified, and her description of the clip as 'propaganda' remains her own characterisation rather than an admission from officials.
When the video first appeared in 2025, Rodrigo responded in real time in the comments section, condemning the use outright. 'Don't ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,' she wrote beneath the DHS post, a message that spread rapidly across social media and cemented her as a high-profile critic of the Trump administration's immigration rhetoric.
Her renewed anger in 2026 indicates the episode has not faded quietly into the background. Instead, it has become another flashpoint in the wider argument over how far the Trump White House can draw on the language of popular culture while pursuing policies many artists openly oppose.
Wider Culture Clash Over Trump‑Linked Events
The dispute over Olivia Rodrigo's music comes amid a broader cultural boycott of projects associated with Donald Trump and his allies. Several artists have withdrawn from the Great American State Fair, a 16‑day event scheduled for 25 June to 10 July on the National Mall in Washington DC, organised by a non‑profit group linked to Trump as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Country star Martina McBride is among those to have pulled out. In a statement posted to Instagram on 29 May, she said she had been told the event was non-partisan, but later concluded that this was not the case.
'I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,' she wrote. 'In my mind, I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can. Yesterday things started changing, and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.'
McBride did not say exactly what had changed, and there is no independent public documentation of the internal discussions around the fair's branding or political links. That means some of the context remains unclear and should be treated cautiously.
She said her decision was rooted in the values behind her work. 'I've spent my entire career singing about real people with real issues. I've been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn't have one,' she wrote. 'It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I'm abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you that is not the case.'
There has been no formal response in the source material from Trump officials, DHS representatives or the fair's organisers addressing Rodrigo's objections or the decisions by McBride and others to walk away. On the evidence available, what stands out is that a single deportation video featuring an Olivia Rodrigo song has become a test of how far this White House can push into pop culture before drawing open resistance from artists.
