"Evil and disgusting": Sabrina Carpenter rakes White House for ICE video with her song
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Sabrina Carpenter appears in New York on October 2025. Photo: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter scolded the White House on Tuesday for using her music in a recent video on ICE raids.
Why it matters: Carpenter joins the growing list of celebrities who have spoken out against the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security over use of their music, images and likeness for videos promoting Trump's immigration policy.
Driving the news: The White House posted a video Monday that appeared to show ICE agents arresting and chasing people, with Carpenter's song "Juno" playing over it.
- The video starts with her lyric "Wanna try out some freaky positions?" and is followed by "Have you ever tried this one?" repeated three times in succession over footage of arrests.
- "Have you ever tried this one?" the White House captioned the video. "Bye-bye."
- Carpenter slammed the White House on X in reply to the video Tuesday, writing, "this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda."
What they're saying: "Here's a Short n' Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won't apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?" White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Axios in response to Carpenter's comment.
Zoom out: The Trump administration and the DHS have received severe backlash from recent social media videos using lyrics, likenesses and copyrighted material to promote immigration policy.
- The DHS specifically has been doubling-down on memes and internet culture for their videos.
- In September, DHS posted a video that compared arresting migrants to catching Pokémon, and even used the franchise's catchphrase "Gotta Catch 'Em All." The Pokémon Company International told Axios at the time that it did not give DHS permission to use their intellectual property.
- At the same time, comedian Theo Von said a soundbite used by the DHS for a video was taken out of context.
Other celebrities have specifically challenged President Trump's immigration policy, including country music star Zach Bryan, whose teaser for a new song ignited widespread backlash from conservatives and ICE.
- Bad Bunny, who will host next year's Super Bowl, has also famously criticized Trump, igniting widespread backlash from MAGA supporters.
Yes, but: Not every artist whose music or content has been used by the DHS and White House for videos has spoken out.
- For example, in November, the White House used Taylor Swift's new song "The Fate of Ophelia" in a TikTok with images of Trump. Swift has not responded to the controversy.
- However, the White House told Variety in a statement that the video was made "because we knew fake news media brands like Variety would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played."
More from Axios:
DHS escalates fight over Zach Bryan's controversial ICE lyric
DHS faces backlash from Theo Von, Pokémon over social media posts
