Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has launched a fierce public condemnation of the Donald Trump administration after the White House used her hit song to promote controversial immigration enforcement actions.
White House Co-opts Viral Lyric for ICE Montage
The controversy erupted on Monday, 2nd December 2025, when the White House posted a 20-second video across its official X and TikTok accounts. The clip begins with footage of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids before cutting to a rapid montage showing agents chasing and detaining individuals alleged to be undocumented immigrants.
The video was edited to sync with the now-viral lyric from Carpenter's song Juno: 'Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.' The caption on the post repeated the line, accompanied by a waving-heart-eyes emoji.
Carpenter responded swiftly and unequivocally on her own X account, writing: 'This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.'
Ironic Twist on Tour Staging
The White House's use of the track represents a stark perversion of the playful context Carpenter herself created for the song during her recent Short 'n Sweet tour. On stage, the singer incorporated a comedic 'arrest' gag using pink prop handcuffs, often playfully 'detaining' a surprised audience member or celebrity guest.
Another viral element of her show involved Carpenter teasing crowds with a different, suggestive pose each night, punctuated by her repeated spoken line, 'Have you ever tried… this one?' The administration's video repurposes this lighthearted, consensual stage banter to soundtrack real-world immigration enforcement operations.
Growing Backlash from the Music Industry
This incident is not isolated. It highlights a growing pattern of tension between popular artists and Trump's White House, which has repeatedly used chart-topping music in official videos without securing permission from the rights holders.
Just weeks earlier, singer Olivia Rodrigo blasted the administration for using her track All-American Bitch in a Department of Homeland Security Instagram post that depicted ICE officers tackling and deporting people. 'Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,' Rodrigo wrote. That DHS video encouraged viewers to 'LEAVE NOW and self-deport' using a government app.
Other musicians have also raised alarms. Veteran artist Kenny Loggins recently criticised Trump for using his song Danger Zone beneath an AI-generated video that depicted the president dumping waste onto anti-Trump protestors.
A Clear Message to the White House
It remains to be seen whether the White House will pull the video featuring Carpenter's song. However, the forceful and immediate responses from Carpenter, Rodrigo, and others send a clear signal: musicians are no longer willing to stay silent when their creative work is co-opted to promote political agendas they find abhorrent.
The trend points to a significant ethical and legal clash between artistic expression and government propaganda, with artists increasingly drawing a firm line against the unauthorised use of their music to soundtrack policies of division and enforcement.
