Sabrina Carpenter has a blunt response to White House video using her music
The White House X account on Monday posted a video showing migrants being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, set to a soundtrack of Sabrina Carpenter's hit song "Juno."
Carpenter responded to the ICE video on Tuesday with an X post of her own, calling the White House's video "evil" and "inhumane." The singer replied to the video with the comment, "this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda." The comment currently has 66.3 million views.
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Politicians, and in particular President Donald Trump, have a long history of using musicians' work without their permission. In fact, there's an entire Wikipedia entry for the phenomenon: Musicians who oppose Donald Trump's use of their music.
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In addition, the White House has a history of posting memes, AI slop, and viral social videos that dehumanize undocumented immigrants, a strategy that's proven popular with Trump's base. The fact that the White House posted an ICE video that angered a popular celebrity is a feature, not a bug, of this social media strategy.
The song "Juno" also has a history of going viral. It played a central role in Carpenter's 2024 "Short n' Sweet" tour, with the singer incorporating a new simulated sex position into the song's choreography during each of her performances. The lyrics, "Have you ever tried this one?" are now being appropriated by the White House for a new kind of viral moment.
The White House didn't waste time in responding to Carpenter's X post. A spokesperson provided this comment to Fox News Digital, quoting Carpenter's 2025 single "Manchild" at the end: "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?"
Topics Music Viral Videos Politics
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
