Noah Kahan slams Trump administration for using 'American Cars' in White House social media post

The White House post

On Monday, the White House shared images of President Donald Trump visiting General Motors' flagship test site in Michigan on Instagram and TikTok, using Noah Kahan's song "American Cars" as the soundtrack. The post was part of an event focused on autoworkers. Fans quickly tagged Kahan in the comments, alerting him to the use.

Kahan's response

On Tuesday afternoon, Kahan replied directly on the Instagram post: "Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration." The comment gathered thousands of likes within hours. Instagram recently introduced a feature allowing users to change a post's audio after publishing; following Kahan's objection, the song was disabled on Instagram but remained on the TikTok version of the post.

Co-writer's blunt comment

Noah Levine, who co-wrote "American Cars" with Kahan, also left a comment on the Instagram post, writing, "You fat fuck this song isn't for you." The remark was more pointed than Kahan's and drew attention alongside the singer's own statement.

Katy Perry's parallel objection

The Kahan incident follows a similar objection from Katy Perry over the weekend. The White House used her 2010 hit "Firework" in a TikTok post that included footage of military strikes. Perry posted on X that she was "deeply appalled and angry" and had not approved the use. She said the song was written as an anthem of hope and healing, and that using it to soundtrack destruction was a "complete violation" of its message.

I am deeply appalled and angry to see "Firework" used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.

A growing list of artists

Kahan and Perry join a list of musicians who have spoken out against the Trump administration's use of their songs on social media. In June, Ariana Grande objected after a version of her 2024 song "Bye" appeared in a TikTok post depicting ICE agents arresting people. Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion, Neil Young, and the Rolling Stones have also criticized the White House for unauthorized use of their music. Representatives for Kahan and the White House did not respond to Variety's request for comment.

Kahan's career momentum

The controversy comes during a high point in Kahan's career. His album The Great Divide debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month, marking the third biggest week for any album in 2026. He surprise-released an extended version with four additional tracks less than 24 hours after the original. Kahan is currently on a sold-out tour and earlier this month closed a four-night run at Boston's Fenway Park, where he was inducted into the ballpark's artist hall of fame.