Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has taken a stand against the White House's controversial use of her music in a social media video. The video, posted on the official White House X account, featured a montage of clips depicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in action. The lyrics 'Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?' from Carpenter's song 'Juno' played over the video, which she found deeply disturbing and offensive. Carpenter's response was swift and strong, stating, 'This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.'
This incident is not an isolated case of the Trump administration's use of music and intellectual property in social media posts. In September, the Department of Homeland Security faced backlash for using the 'Pokémon' theme song 'Gotta Catch 'Em All' in a similar video, despite Nintendo's objection to the unauthorized use of their intellectual property. The video remained on the DHS account until Tuesday. Additionally, in the same week, DHS removed a video featuring podcaster Theo Von's snippet, and in October, rock band MGMT issued a takedown request for their song 'Little Dark Age' being used in a 'propaganda video' by DHS. The trend continued in November when Olivia Rodrigo demanded that the DHS stop using her song 'all-american b---' to promote their racist and hateful content.
These incidents highlight the ethical concerns surrounding the use of music and intellectual property in social media content, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like immigration and deportation. It raises questions about the responsibility of social media platforms and content creators to ensure that their work is not misused for propaganda or to promote harmful agendas.
