White House removes ICE video following criticism from Sabrina Carpenter, shares new clip mocking singer
The White House recently faced backlash for sharing a video on social media promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests with pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Juno” as the background music. The clip, which lasted for a mere 21 seconds, featured ICE agents detaining migrants while the lyrics “Have you ever tried this one?” from Carpenter’s hit song played repeatedly, accompanied by a caption that read, “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye,” alongside waving and heart emojis.
The 26-year-old singer condemned the video as “evil and disgusting” in a response on a social media platform. Carpenter expressed her disapproval, emphasizing that she did not want her music being used to support an agenda she deemed inhumane. The video sparked outrage, leading to a statement from White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defending the clip by referencing Carpenter’s album title “Short n’ Sweet” and lyrics from her single “Manchild.”
Jackson’s statement appeared to defend the controversial video by asserting that the administration would not apologize for deporting individuals they classified as “dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles.” The White House seemed to question those who would stand up for such individuals, referring to them as “stupid” or implying that they might be slow. Despite the initial support, the video was eventually taken down without any clear explanation, while a version without audio remained on TikTok.
The issue did not end there, as the White House proceeded to post a new video following the deletion of the initial controversial content. This new clip featured edited footage from an October promotional video of Carpenter’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” The altered audio in this clip replaced “hot” with “illegal,” showing Carpenter joking with a cast member about needing to arrest someone for being “too hot” before transitioning to a montage of ICE arrests, accompanied by a caption stating, “PSA: If you’re a criminal illegal, you WILL be arrested & deported.”
This incident added Carpenter to a list of artists objecting to the unauthorized use of their music in the Trump administration’s promotional videos, including Olivia Rodrigo, Kenny Loggins, Jess Glynne, and the band MGMT. The trend among artists condemning such unauthorized use reflects a broader concern over the political implications of associating their work with messages or policies they do not support.