Taylor Swift songs removed from Trump and White House’s social media posts | Trump administration
US politics | The Guardian — 2026-08-09 09:33:00 — www.theguardian.com
Donald Trump’s Social Media Accounts Target Taylor Swift and Other Pop Stars, Prompting Backlash and Song Removals
Donald Trump’s campaign and White House social media accounts have repeatedly used Taylor Swift’s music in videos posted online, often to mock or provoke the pop star. In one instance, a video posted on August 3 featured Trump and Melania Trump watching fireworks, set to Swift’s song “August.” The accompanying text read, “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song! #taylorswift #maga #august.” Another post from Trump’s campaign poked fun at Swift’s 2012 album, Red, with the message, “Did you know Taylor Swift wrote a whole album about the color of the Republican party?” and suggested parody track titles.
Both of these videos, along with others featuring Swift’s music, have since been silenced on social media platforms. This pattern extends beyond Swift: Trump-related accounts have used songs from artists such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and Kenny Loggins, all of whom have publicly objected to the use of their music in this context.
Grande and Carpenter have both condemned the use of their music in Trump’s videos, with Grande calling it “barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense” after her music was used over footage of ICE agents detaining people. Carpenter described a video soundtracked with her song during immigration raids as “evil and disgusting,” demanding, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Trump has a history of attacking Swift directly. After Swift endorsed Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, Trump declared, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” He later wrote, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’”
Despite the removal of music from these videos, Trump’s campaign has continued to use pop culture references as a form of “rage bait” to provoke reactions online. Swift herself has not commented on the recent incidents. Meanwhile, her Eras tour has become the highest-grossing tour of all time, generating about $2.2 billion worldwide, and her album The Life of a Showgirl became the most pre-saved album ever on Spotify ahead of its October 2025 release.
The repeated use of artists’ music without consent, combined with Trump’s public disparagement of Swift, underscores the ongoing tensions between the campaign’s social media strategy and the artists whose work they appropriate. As artists continue to object, the controversy highlights broader issues of copyright, consent, and political messaging in the digital age.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/taylor-swift-songs-removed-trump-white-house-posts