White House Faces Wave of Artist Rebukes for Unauthorized Song Use in Policy Videos

Since launching its TikTok account in August 2025, the White House has drawn condemnations from Kesha, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Jess Glynne, Beyoncé, Olivia Rodrigo, and now Katy Perry for using their songs without permission in posts promoting military strikes and immigration enforcement. Perry objected after "Firework" scored a missile-strike video viewed over 6 million times.