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The Pop Star, the White House, and the Weaponisation of Viral Culture

Saturday, 06 December 2025 20:24

Summary

A social media video posted by the White House, which used pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song 'Juno' to soundtrack a montage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, ignited a fierce public and political row in December 2025. The administration’s use of a viral TikTok trend to promote its aggressive deportation policy drew immediate condemnation from Carpenter, who called the video 'evil and disgusting' and demanded her music not be used to benefit an 'inhumane agenda.' The White House responded with a defiant statement, using puns based on the singer’s own song titles and lyrics to defend its actions. This episode is the latest in a pattern of the administration’s strategy to co-opt popular culture and internet memes for political messaging, a tactic that has repeatedly led to clashes with high-profile artists over copyright and the perceived trivialisation of serious policy issues. The controversy highlights the increasingly blurred line between political communication and entertainment, setting a new precedent for the aggressive use of pop culture in government propaganda.

The Viral Post and the Pop Culture Co-option

The controversy began on Monday, 1 December 2025, when the official White House social media accounts published a video promoting the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents2,15. The clip, which was posted to platforms including X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, featured a montage of federal immigration officers chasing, tackling, and handcuffing individuals during arrest operations1,4,10. The video was set to a looped audio clip from the song 'Juno' by American pop star Sabrina Carpenter1,15. Specifically, the White House video repeatedly played the lyric, 'Have you ever tried this one?'2,4. This audio choice was a direct reference to a viral TikTok trend and a recurring segment in Carpenter’s 'Short n’ Sweet Tour,' where she would playfully 'arrest' a fan on stage while performing the song2,9. The White House’s original post on X was captioned with the phrase, 'Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye 👋😍,' complete with waving and heart emojis, explicitly linking the pop culture reference to the detention and deportation of migrants2,4,15. Critics immediately argued that the video trivialised the serious and often violent nature of immigration enforcement by overlaying it with a light-hearted, suggestive pop song and meme format1,12. The administration’s use of popular music and internet culture to promote its political agenda is not an isolated incident, but rather a consistent feature of its social media strategy7,10,15. The White House has previously used popular songs, often tied to memes, to put a 'glossy spin' on immigration raids and other policy actions that have spurred protests across the country1. This approach is part of a broader effort to engage a younger audience and normalise aggressive enforcement policies through the language of internet humour7.

The Artist’s Condemnation and the Political Backlash

Sabrina Carpenter, a Grammy Award-winning singer, swiftly and publicly condemned the unauthorised use of her music14,15. On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the 26-year-old artist responded to the post on X, writing that the video was 'evil and disgusting'2,4,11. She demanded that the administration 'Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda'3,8,10. Carpenter’s comment quickly gained significant traction, earning more than a million likes and amplifying the public backlash against the White House’s content2. The singer’s political stance on immigration was already known, as she had previously encouraged her fans to donate to the National Immigration Law Center9. The controversy was not merely a dispute over copyright, but a clash between a major cultural figure and the government over the moral framing of a contentious policy12. The administration’s aggressive immigration policies, including a historic deportation pace, had already faced criticism for allegedly using violent tactics and seeking to deport long-standing residents8. Reports indicated that ICE detentions had reached a record 65,000 in November 2025, with an average of 1,200 arrests and over 1,250 deportations per day since the start of the fiscal year on 1 October8. The White House’s decision to use a playful pop song to celebrate these operations was seen by critics as a deliberate attempt to mock those being detained and to trivialise the human cost of the policy12.

A 'Short n’ Sweet' Retort

The White House did not back down from the confrontation, instead choosing to escalate the dispute with a highly personalised and defiant response4,12. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued a statement to multiple news outlets that directly mocked Carpenter by referencing her own work4,6. The statement began with a reference to the singer’s album title, 'Short n’ Sweet,' and continued by defending the administration’s actions4,12. Jackson stated, 'Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country'3,4,15. The spokesperson then concluded the statement by quoting a lyric from Carpenter’s song 'Manchild,' asking, 'Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?'2,6,9. This response, which used the artist’s own words against her, was a clear example of the administration’s strategy of engaging in direct, often aggressive, social media conflict with its critics7. Following the initial backlash, the White House quietly removed the original video from its X account on Friday, 5 December 2025, though it remained posted on TikTok with the audio removed2,4. However, the administration quickly posted a new, modified video that further taunted the singer4,13. This second video featured edited footage from a promotional clip for Carpenter’s October appearance on *Saturday Night Live*4. In the original *SNL* promo, Carpenter joked with cast member Marcello Hernández about needing to arrest someone for being 'too hot'4. The White House’s edited version overdubbed the audio, replacing the word 'hot' with 'illegal,' and then cut to a montage of ICE arrests4. The caption for this new post read, 'PSA: If you’re a criminal illegal, you WILL be arrested & deported. ✨'2,4,11. The administration’s actions demonstrated a willingness to engage in a protracted, meme-driven conflict with a major pop star, prioritising a combative social media presence over traditional diplomatic communication.

The Growing List of Unwilling Participants

The clash with Sabrina Carpenter is the latest in a long and growing list of musicians who have objected to the administration’s unauthorised use of their work for political messaging10,15. The administration and its associated federal agencies have increasingly embraced pop music, memes, and even AI-generated images on official accounts to promote their agenda7. This strategy has led to repeated public disputes over copyright and political alignment12. Just one month prior, in November 2025, pop star Olivia Rodrigo publicly rebuked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House after her song 'All-American Bitch' was used in a video promoting self-deportations among undocumented immigrants11,14. Rodrigo’s comment, which demanded, 'Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,' was later removed, though the song was eventually made unavailable on the Instagram post12,14. In July 2025, British singer Jess Glynne also denounced the White House for using a TikTok soundtrack featuring her song 'Hold My Hand' in a deportation-linked video, stating the post made her feel 'sick' and that the use went against the song’s message of 'love, support, and standing by someone'7,14. Earlier in the year, the rock band MGMT successfully filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown request against a DHS video that used their song 'Little Dark Age' to soundtrack footage of federal agents arresting anti-ICE protesters7,14. Even before the Carpenter controversy, the White House had used a track by her friend and collaborator, Taylor Swift, in a video disparaging the megastar, who had endorsed a political rival in the 2024 election1. Rock band Semisonic also objected to the use of their song 'Closing Time' in a video featuring a shackled man being frisked10. While legally challenging the use of a song can be costly and difficult, many artists have chosen to raise their objections publicly to inform their fan bases of their political stance and to distance themselves from the administration’s policies7. The repeated nature of these incidents suggests a deliberate, calculated strategy by the administration to leverage the cultural currency of pop music, regardless of the artists’ objections, to generate attention and reinforce its political narrative15.

Conclusion

The public feud between a global pop star and the White House over a 21-second social media video represents more than a simple copyright dispute; it is a microcosm of the modern political communication landscape4,12. The administration’s willingness to appropriate a viral meme about sex positions and overlay it onto footage of aggressive immigration arrests demonstrates a new level of political cynicism and a complete disregard for the traditional boundaries of government messaging2,9. By using the language of internet culture, the White House successfully generated massive media attention, ensuring its message about aggressive deportation reached millions of viewers who might otherwise ignore a standard policy announcement7. The defiant, pun-laden response to Sabrina Carpenter’s condemnation further solidified the administration’s brand of combative, anti-establishment communication3,6. This episode underscores a fundamental shift in how political power is projected, where the line between serious policy and 'rage bait' entertainment has effectively dissolved12. For artists, the challenge of protecting their creative work from political co-option has become a recurring battle, forcing them to choose between costly legal action and public denunciation7,10. The controversy ultimately highlights the power of pop culture to both humanise and trivialise, and the administration’s calculated decision to weaponise the latter for political gain15.

References

  1. Sabrina Carpenter condemns 'evil and disgusting' ICE video that uses her song

    Supports details about the video's content, the song used ('Juno'), the White House's history of using pop songs, and Carpenter's initial condemnation.

  2. White House deletes ICE video after Sabrina Carpenter backlash—but keeps the message

    Provides the date of the original post, the specific lyric used, the caption, the viral trend context, Carpenter's exact quote, the White House spokesperson's quote, and the fact that the video was deleted from X but modified and reposted on TikTok.

  3. Sabrina Carpenter and White House clash over ICE video music

    Confirms the date of the post (Monday, December 1), the song ('Juno'), Carpenter's 'evil and disgusting' quote, and the White House spokesperson's pun-filled response.

  4. White House deletes ICE video after Sabrina Carpenter rebuke, posts new clip taunting singer

    Details the original video's content, the caption, Carpenter's age (26), the White House spokesperson's full statement referencing 'Short n’ Sweet' and 'Manchild,' the quiet removal from X, and the content of the second, taunting video using the edited *SNL* footage.

  5. Sabrina Carpenter Calls Out Trump White House for Hijacking Her Song in Deportation Video

    Confirms the song 'Juno' was used without permission and the general nature of the controversy.

  6. Sabrina Carpenter has a blunt response to White House video using 'Juno'

    Provides Carpenter's exact quote and the White House spokesperson's full quote, including the reference to the song 'Manchild'.

  7. Artists Push Back Against Trump Admin Using Their Music

    Provides context on the administration's broader strategy of using pop culture/memes, the quote about 'banger memes,' and details on other artists who objected, including Jess Glynne and MGMT.

  8. Sabrina Carpenter slams Trump administration for using her songs to promote ICE arrests

    Confirms Carpenter's quote and provides key statistics on the scale of ICE detentions and deportations in November 2025.

  9. Sabrina Carpenter Calls ICE Video Using Her Song 'Evil'

    Details the 'Short n’ Sweet' tour 'arrest' reference, the specific lyric used, the White House spokesperson's quote, and Carpenter's previous support for the National Immigration Law Center.

  10. Sabrina Carpenter to White House: Don't use my music to tout 'inhumane' agenda

    Confirms the song 'Juno' was used over videos of Latinos being arrested, Carpenter's quote, and mentions other artists who objected, including Semisonic.

  11. White House deletes Sabrina Carpenter video the singer called 'evil'

    Confirms the song 'Juno' was used, Carpenter's quote, the White House spokesperson's quote, and provides details on the previous controversy involving Olivia Rodrigo and her song 'all-american bitch'.

  12. White House issues 'short n sweet' response after Sabrina Carpenter slammed use of her song in ICE video

    Confirms the pun-filled response, the nature of the video (montage of people getting chased/arrested), and provides extensive details on the Olivia Rodrigo controversy, including her quote and the DHS video caption.

  13. White House taunts Sabrina Carpenter with another brutal ICE video days after singer rebuked them for using her song

    Confirms the second, taunting video and the use of the edited *SNL* footage.

  14. Pop stars blast White House for hateful use of their songs

    Confirms Carpenter's condemnation, the White House spokesperson's quote, and provides details on the controversies involving Olivia Rodrigo and Jess Glynne.

  15. Pop star Sabrina Carpenter tells White House to stop using her music

    Confirms the date of the post (Dec 1), the song ('Juno'), the video's content (chasing and detaining), Carpenter's age (25), her quote, the White House spokesperson's quote, and the context of the administration's aggressive social media strategy.