Ariana Grande Slams Trump Campaign for Using Her Music in Anti-Trans Video
Pop star Ariana Grande publicly confronted Team Trump on August 20, 2026, demanding that Team Trump stop using her music after a TikTok video paired her 2024 single We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love) with anti-transgender messaging, according to reporting by The Pink News and Billboard.
The disputed social media post, published on Thursday, August 20, 2026, featured Donald Trump walking toward a podium while text displayed on screen stated that men cannot have babies and should never compete in women’s sports, as reported by The Pink News. The clip used lyrics from Grande’s Billboard Hot 100-topping track in its caption, adding the hashtag tags #trump, #arianagrande, and #maga alongside the assertion that the stance should not be controversial.
Ariana Grande Responds in TikTok Comments
Grande quickly posted a direct reply in the comment section of the Team Trump TikTok video, writing, Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false,
according to coverage from The Pink News and Billboard.
Fans quickly noticed the exchange and alerted the artist, with some users sharing screenshots after noticing that comments on the official post appeared to be fluctuating or deleted, noted The Pink News. By late Thursday, August 20, 2026, the video had been muted on TikTok. Daily Mail reported that Grande’s label, Republic Records, had been working to remove the unauthorized audio, according to details cited by The Pink News.
Prior Disputes Over Unauthorized Song Usage
This incident marks the second time in the summer of 2026 that Grande has publicly rebuked the Trump administration for using her catalog on social media. In June 2026, the White House utilized a version of her 2024 track Bye in a TikTok post showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting and handcuffing individuals, as reported by Billboard.
Grande condemned that deployment at the time, leaving a comment that stated, Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F— ICE,
according to Billboard and The Pink News. The singer subsequently wore an ICE Out pin at the Golden Globes, underlining her vocal support for immigrant advocacy groups.
Other prominent recording artists, including SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Jess Glynne, Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion, ABBA, and Billie Eilish, have similarly objected to political campaigns using their work without authorization, according to roundups published by The Pink News and Billboard.