Ariana Grande has once again protested the use of her music by Donald Trump's political team. This time, the issue was a controversial TikTok post featuring her 2024 hit song, «We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)».
The video was published on Thursday by the Team Trump TikTok account. It showed Trump heading toward a podium. Text overlaid on the video referenced lyrics from Grande's song: «Me and my truth we sit in silence,» followed by a statement that men can have children and participate in women's sports. The post caption read: «This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga».
Grande herself reacted in the comments, directly addressing the use of her composition. She wrote: «Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.» Later, her comment became unavailable, and the song was removed from TikTok; the video now indicates that the sound is unavailable, according to reports that the rights holder deleted the music.
This is not the first instance where Grande has publicly challenged the use of her music by the Trump administration. In June, the White House used another Grande song, «Bye,» on TikTok, showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining people. This post promoted the administration's immigration policy by using the song as a soundtrack.
At that time, Grande responded, asking the administration to refrain from using her music because she called it «barbaric, inhumane, disgusting nonsense.» Her comment was subsequently hidden or deleted, and the audio was muted in the video. Thus, the latest incident marks the second public confrontation between Grande and the Trump administration regarding her music in approximately two months.
The composition «We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)» was released in 2024 as part of Grande's sixth studio album, «Eternal Sunshine.» The song became one of the project's most recognizable tracks, and its lyrics were directly incorporated into the Team Trump video. Consequently, the political post attracted attention not only for its message but also because Grande immediately rejected the association between her song and this content.
Furthermore, Grande is currently in the spotlight due to her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which amplifies the public resonance surrounding her reaction.
Grande is not the only major artist who objects to the use of their music in connection with Trump or his administration. In recent months, artists such as Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Katy Perry, Noah Kahan, and Bad Bunny have also publicly spoken out against the use of their songs in political or governmental social media posts. However, for Grande, the repeated use of her music has led to two direct public responses in a short period. Her latest message was particularly sharp, clearly stating that she does not want her music associated with the political messages presented in the Team Trump post.