White House Draws Fire for Using โSabrina Carpenter‘s ‘Juno’ in ICEโ Video
WASHINGTON D.C. – The White Houseโ is facing criticism after using singer Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Juno” asโ the soundtrack to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Instagram video depicting ICE officers detaining and deporting individuals. Carpenter, โaโ supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, joins a growing list of artistsโ objectingโ to the unauthorized use of their music by the administration for political purposes.
The DHS video,which featured aโค montageโ of people boarding DHS flights and a caption urging self-deportation via the CBP Home app with a warning of โฃ”consequences” for non-compliance,prompted Carpenter to โpublicly denounce the use of her โmusic,stating,”don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist,hateful propaganda.” Thisโ incident follows similar controversies involving artists like Olivia Rodrigo, whose song “All-American Bitch” was used in a separate DHS video showcasing ICE operations, and Taylor Swift, whose hitโข “The Fate of Ophelia” was repurposed as “The Fate of America” in a TikTok video featuring former President Trump’s mugshot.
The White House has acknowledged deliberately provoking media coverage with these videos. A representative told Variety the videosโฃ were designed โขto get “fake news โขmedia brands”โฃ to “breathlessly amplify”โ their message,adding,”Congrats,you โgot played.” This strategy echoes a pattern of the administration utilizing popularโ music without permission, โrecently including Kennyโ Loggins’ “Danger Zone” in an AI-generated video โขdepicting Trump seemingly dumping waste on โคanti-trump protestors. โ These instances raiseโ questions about copyrightโข law andโ the ethical implications of political campaigns appropriating artists’ work.