On Tuesday, pop star Sabrina Carpenter scolded the White House for using her song “Juno” in a video montage of ICE arrests.
“This video is evil and disgusting,” she wrote on X. “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.
— Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) December 2, 2025
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson was asked by Fox News Digital for a comment, and the comeback was swift and severe.
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, r*****s and p*******s from our country,” Jackson said. “Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”
Sabrina Carpenter takes a lie detector test – YouTube, Vanity Fair
Jackson was using Carpenter’s own words against her, as the line “stupid, or is it slow” is from another Carpenter song, Manchild. Instead of coming across as the out-of-touch conservatives of old, the current administration is in tune with pop culture.
And the list of pop stars the White House has upset with its social media campaigns keeps growing.
Who is Getting Played?
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a video on its Instagram asking illegal immigrants to self-deport. The video was set to Olivia Rodrigo’s “All-American B***h.”
Rodrigo lashed out in the comments, saying, “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
U.S. President Donald Trump sits for an interview with ABC News – YouTube, ABC News
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In response, a DHS spokesperson told USA Today, “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe.” As with Carpenter, the artist’s own lyrics — in this case, “grateful all the time” — were used in the reply. “We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice,” the spokesperson concluded.
The most notable musician to stay out of the fray is Taylor Swift. The Grammy winner had criticized Trump in the past for an AI-generated image that made it appear that she was endorsing him. In reality, Swift vocally supported Kamala Harris’s presidential run. However, when the official White House TikTok account recently used her hit song “The Fate of Ophelia” in a video celebrating President Trump, Swift remained silent.
Taylor Swift performing at a concert – Photo Credit: Makaiyla Willis, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Variety, however, reached out to the White House for comment. “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like Variety would breathlessly amplify them,” a White House official replied. “Congrats, you got played.”
When Carpenter and Rodrigo publicly object to their licensed music being associated with national policy, they may not realize that they too are amplifying the administration’s videos. Their music is being listened to, but who is really getting played?
Conclusion
Those who listen to Carpenter’s music and share her political views are unlikely to change because the White House uses her music on social media. Those who support the efforts the efforts of ICE are equally unlikely to become Sabrina Carpenter fans because of the exposure to her music.
Many users online have been quick to note that Carpenter, known for her sexually explicit music videos, may not hold the moral high ground.
Call me crazy, but churches shouldn’t be used as backdrops for sexual innuendo. Sabrina Carpenter crossed a line.
Choose your heroes wisely. pic.twitter.com/A7PbpxXlhf
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 🇺🇸 (@creation247) December 3, 2025
But at least in terms of generating attention and controlling the narrative on social media, the White House seems to have developed a strategy that’s working. And pop stars like Carpenter are struggling to catch up.
Do you think Sabrina Carpenter is right to object to the White House using her music in its videos? Let us know in the comments!
I’m still amazed that……… this was way too hot to throw in the 1124th disney remake. She looks like the ugly chick, that’s the first victim of an ‘80s slasher flick. That hair helmet and them caterpillars that were taken hostage and placed above her eyes…….
yuck