Sabrina Carpenter Becomes Latest Artist to Push Back Against Trump Admin Co-Opting Music

but without sound.

Another rock band, Blue Öyster Cult, reacted to Trump’s use of their 1976 hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” in an AI-generated video in which Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought was depicted as the Grim Reaper pursuing mass layoffs of federal workers and shutting down “Democratic” agencies during the U.S.’s longest-ever government shutdown. In a

, the band clarified that it was “not contacted or notified in advance” but that the copyright is “100% owned by SONY MUSIC.” The video with the sound remains on Trump’s Truth Social platform.

British pop singer Jess Glynne also had her 2015 bop “Hold My Hand,” which became an internet sensation this year, used by the White House to promote deportations back in July. In a statement to the media, Glynne said she felt “sick” and “devastated” that her song was being used to promote “division and hate,” explaining: “Hold My Hand was written about love, support, and standing by someone through everything – it’s meant to offer hope and empowerment. Using it to promote something I fundamentally disagree with goes completely against the message of the song.” Jet2, an airline whose use of the song in a holiday advertisement went viral and was what was actually used as the backing sound of the White House video, also expressed disappointment, saying the use was “not endorsed by us in any way” and the company was “very disappointed to see our brand being used to promote government policy such as this.”

Some artists, however, have largely kept publicly silent about the use of their songs. Notably, Taylor Swift, TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year who has at other times been hawkish about unsanctioned use of her music and has called out Trump before for falsely implying her endorsement, has not issued any statement after she had her songs from her latest album The Life of a Showgirl used in White House materials.