Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour begins in Oakland
Ariana Grande is back onstage with the launch of her “Eternal Sunshine” tour. The star kicked things off in Oakland, Calif. on June 6, 2026.
Ariana Grande does not want President Donald Trump’s White House to use her music to promote its policies.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande commented under a June 9 video posted by the White House on TikTok highlighting its immigration enforcement policy. The video, which depicts federal agents arresting and handcuffing people, features the Grammy Award-winning singer’s 2024 song “Bye,” according to reports by Reuters and The Guardian.
The audio and Grande’s comment have since been removed.
While a rep for Grande offered no information on the development, Reuters, quoting a source close to the singer, reported Grande’s team was looking into how to remove the music from the video as soon as possible.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, meanwhile, in a statement to USA TODAY on June 12, said, “We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”
Grande has been critical of Trump
This is not the first time Grande, 32, who recently kicked off her Eternal Sunshine Tour, has been critical of Trump and his administration. Last year, the Oscar-nominated actress, in an Instagram story, had asked people who voted for Trump if their lives had gotten better since he returned to office.
Trump, now in his second non-consecutive term, has an active social media presence with his communications team frequently posting short videos featuring popular songs to illustrate the president’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promises.
When asked by Variety about the use of music by Taylor Swift in a November 2025 video, the White House replied: “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like Variety would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played.” Swift did not respond to the use of her music.
Other artists object to White House’s use of their music
Grande is just the latest musician or band to object to the use of their music by the Trump administration or campaign.
Other artists – some who have sent cease-and-desist letters or threatened suits – include Aerosmith, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Olivia Rodrigo, John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, Linkin Park, Panic! At The Disco, R.E.M., Rhianna, Semisonic, the Rolling Stones, The Smiths, The White Stripes, Pharrell Williams, Neil Young, and the estates of Prince, Sinéad O’Connor and Tom Petty.
Contributing: Reuters / Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com ’
