Ariana Grande Demands Team Trump Stop Using Her Music After TikTok Clip

Campaign video and artist response

On 20 August 2026, the official Team Trump TikTok account published a video featuring US President Donald Trump walking toward a podium during a 2024 rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 14-million-follower account paired the footage with the opening line of Ariana Grande's 2024 single "We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)". The post displayed the song's lyric, "Me and my truth we sit in silence," before transitioning to on-screen text stating that men cannot have babies and should never compete in women's sports. Team Trump accompanied the post with the caption: "This shouldn't be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga."

Grande responded directly in the comment section of the post to reject the political statement and demand the cessation of unauthorized music usage.

Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.

The singer's comment subsequently became invisible under the post, prompting fans to accuse campaign administrators of deliberately concealing her reply. Grande's record label, Republic Records, initiated copyright procedures to remove the soundtrack. TikTok subsequently muted the audio for US users with a notice stating that the copyright owner had not made the sound available.

Previous clashes over border policy

The confrontation marks the second time in 2026 that Trump digital channels have used Grande's music without permission. In June, the official White House TikTok account featured her song "Bye" over footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers making arrests and placing individuals in handcuffs. The clip celebrated border enforcement policies under the caption "Bye-bye. President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history," referencing the Secure America Act.

Grande objected to the post in the comments before that audio track was also muted across platforms.

Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F*** ICE.

Grande, who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 and wore an "ICE Out" pin in 2026, has expanded her advocacy regarding LGBTQ+ rights. On 12 June 2026, she founded the Bright Days Ahead foundation to provide mental health assistance and crisis intervention services for vulnerable LGBTQ+ and transgender communities facing federal administrative restrictions.

Music industry objections to campaign usage

Grande joins a broad coalition of recording artists who have forced the Trump campaign and administration accounts to pull unauthorized music. Earlier in August 2026, Taylor Swift had her 2020 track "August" removed from a Team Trump TikTok video that depicted Donald and Melania Trump watching fireworks from a balcony. Other artists who have barred Trump from using their catalogs include Beyoncé, Céline Dion, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Katy Perry, Linkin Park, Radiohead, and German band Alphaville.

The dispute occurred while Grande was in London performing concerts for her Eternal Sunshine tour ahead of a scheduled break. Representatives for the White House and the Trump campaign did not issue public comments following the removal of the track.