Some songs by US pop star Taylor Swift have been removed from social media videos posted by President Donald Trump’s campaign and the White House after her music was repeatedly used in posts featuring the president.
The development comes despite Swift’s previous endorsement of Trump’s Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, during the 2024 presidential election, and a history of public criticism between the singer and the president.
The White House and a representative for Swift had not immediately commented on the removal of the songs.
Trump’s campaign had used two of Swift’s songs on its TikTok account over the past week, including one video that referenced several of the singer’s well-known titles while promoting the president’s political message.
Another campaign video posted in June used Swift’s song from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack and featured Trump interacting with children at the White House, attending a UFC event and appearing at a political rally.
The latest use of Swift’s music marked the third time in recent months that the Trump administration or his campaign had featured one of her songs in its social media content.
Swift has not recently commented on Trump, but her political differences with the president date back several years.
She endorsed Harris in 2024, while Trump responded at the time by writing on social media: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”
He also criticised Swift again last year after previously attacking her popularity.
The use of Swift’s music by the administration has occurred amid growing resistance from musicians and performers over the use of their work in Trump-related social media content.
Several artists, including Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have publicly objected to the administration’s use of their music.
In April, the White House posted a video of the Artemis II crew meeting Trump that featured Swift’s music. The post attracted attention after the administration incorporated a reference to the song into the video.
The White House also posted another TikTok video in November featuring a track from Swift’s The Life of a Showgirlalbum, accompanied by images of the American flag, national monuments and photographs of Trump, including his 2023 arrest mugshot.
That post generated widespread reaction on social media and prompted a White House spokesperson to say the administration knew news organisations would extensively amplify the video.
Trump’s communications team has frequently used popular music alongside images promoting the president’s policies and activities, including his immigration crackdown, military operations and international actions.
Swift, a Grammy-winning artist with one of the world’s largest global fan bases, has previously used her platform to express political views, including opposition to Trump.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, she criticised Trump on social media and backed Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
The removal of her songs from the recent White House and campaign videos adds to the continuing tension surrounding the use of popular music in political messaging, particularly when artists have publicly expressed opposition to the politicians using their work.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
