Sabrina Carpenter has publicly condemned the White House for using her song “Juno” in a controversial social media video featuring ICE agents conducting arrests. The clip, posted on Monday by official White House accounts, paired footage of masked agents carrying out operations with Carpenter singing “Have you ever cried this one?” from her 2024 album Short ‘n’ Sweet. Carpenter took to X to describe the video as “evil and disgusting” and warned, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
This incident is part of a broader pattern of artists criticizing the Trump administration for using their music without permission, with figures like Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and estates of Leonard Cohen and Prince previously speaking out. Carpenter has also been vocal politically in the past, lamenting the state of the country following the election and partnering with Head Count to register voters, as well as fundraising for charities affected by Trump’s policies.
The White House responded with a defiant, lyric-styled statement to The Independent, asserting, “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?”
The exchange highlights the growing tension between artists and political figures over the use of music in governmental messaging, especially on social media platforms.
