The White House used Sabrina Carpenter’s song Juno without permission in a video about ICE raids. When the Grammy winner complained, a White House official insulted her by calling her “stupid” or “slow.” Carpenter is one of many musicians who have criticized the White House for using their music without asking.
The video was posted on the White House’s official X account. It used a viral lyric from Carpenter’s song about sex positions and played it over clips of people being handcuffed, tackled, and chased by ICE agents. The line “Have you ever tried this one?” repeated while showing people being thrown to the ground.
Carpenter responded directly to the post. According to EW, she called the video “evil and disgusting” and told the administration not to use her or her music “to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
The response shows zero respect for artists
When Entertainment Weekly asked the White House about Carpenter’s complaint, the official response was hostile. A representative said they wouldn’t apologize for “deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country.” Then the representative insulted Carpenter’s intelligence by using lyrics from her song “Manchild,” saying “Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has used songs without permission for social media videos. Recently, the White House used Taylor Swift’s music in a patriotic TikTok video celebrating Trump. Swift didn’t comment, but other musicians have spoken up. Carpenter has recently broken her social media silence for important announcements before.
Have you ever tried this one?
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 1, 2025
Bye-byepic.twitter.com/MS9OJKjVdX
Kenny Loggins made headlines in October when he demanded his song “Danger Zone” be removed from an AI-generated video. The video showed Trump wearing a crown and flying in a jet labeled “King Trump” that appeared to dump brown substance on protesters. Loggins said nobody asked his permission, which he “would have denied.” He wanted the recording “removed immediately.”
Many famous artists have spoken out against Trump using their music. The list includes Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Neil Young, Rihanna, Ozzy Osbourne, Pharrell, the Rolling Stones, Nickelback, and Linkin Park. The families of Prince, Tom Petty, Laura Branigan, and George Harrison have also objected. Some fans have noticed her silence on political matters in the past.
Despite all these complaints, Trump continues to play these songs at his events. The administration doesn’t care about what the artists want or their ownership rights.
