Ariana Grande demands that Donald Trump’s team stop using her songs and publicly rejects the message targeting transgender people.
Ariana Grande has once again publicly challenged Donald Trump’s circle after an account linked to the US president used one of her songs to soundtrack a video containing an anti-trans message. The singer responded directly to the post, making her opposition clear both to the use of her music and to the content being promoted.
The controversy began after the Team Trump account posted a TikTok video showing Trump walking towards a lectern during a rally. The soundtrack featured “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)”, one of the Grammy winner’s best-known songs.
Text placed over the footage claimed that men cannot have babies and should not compete in women’s sports. The post added that the statement should not be considered controversial and included references to both Trump and the singer.
The artist was quick to respond. She appeared in the comments to demand that her work never be used in that way again.
“Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false,” she wrote, according to US media reports.
The comment was reportedly visible at first, although it later disappeared from the post. Her song was also subsequently removed from the original video.
The incident is not the first confrontation between the “Into You” singer and the Trump administration over the use of her music. Several months earlier, the 33-year-old performer had already spoken out after the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) used her song “Bye” in content shared on social media.
On that occasion, the American artist used particularly strong language to express her disapproval: “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
The White House subsequently responded to her criticism. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the administration’s policies and rejected the performer’s characterisation, turning a dispute over the use of a song into another episode in the wider political and cultural debate surrounding certain US government measures.
Grande’s position on LGBTQ+ rights is not new either. The Grammy-winning singer has repeatedly expressed her public support for the community and has shared messages from organisations working to defend the rights of transgender people.
In 2025, after Trump signed a sweeping executive order relating to federal policies on sex and gender, the Wicked star shared a statement from Advocates for Trans Equality on her social media accounts. The message warned about the potential consequences that certain measures could have for transgender people and stressed the importance of protecting their rights, healthcare and dignity.
That commitment has also extended to the singer’s own initiatives. In June, she launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, an organisation created to support a range of social causes through funding and other resources.
Among its stated aims is supporting grassroots organisations working for LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and reproductive justice, as well as providing rapid assistance when particular communities face especially difficult circumstances.
