Aunt Gladys. Tyler, the Creator. That sex scene in “The Naked Gun.” These are the things Culture staffers couldn’t stop thinking about this year.

Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter has fiercely disavowed President Trump’s administration for using her music to promote its agenda, prompting an absolutely shocking and aggressive response from the White House spokesperson, as per Al Jazeera. Carpenter took to social media to react after her song Juno, from her 2024 album Short n’ Sweet, was featured in a video montage detailing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

Carpenter didn’t hold back, calling the footage “evil and disgusting.” She added a very clear message to the administration: “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” The White House had actually used her own lyrics in the caption for the clip, quoting, “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson retorted with a statement that was anything but measured. “Here’s a Short ‘n Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologise for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country,” Jackson said. She then aimed a direct insult at the singer, adding, “Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”

The administration’s response doubles down on the criminal deportation propaganda

It seems like the administration’s use of unauthorized intellectual property isn’t limited to pop stars, either. Even beloved children’s characters are getting pulled into the political fray. Kids Can Press, the publisher of the Canadian icon Franklin the Turtle, had to step in after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a heavily manipulated image featuring the friendly turtle.

The image Hegseth shared on X showed Franklin aiming a bazooka at boats, which is definitely not the character we grew up with. Hegseth captioned the post, “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.” Kids Can Press quickly condemned the post. They reminded everyone that Franklin is supposed to stand for kindness and inclusivity, not violence.

‘Evil and disgusting’: Sabrina Carpenter condemns White House’s use of her song https://t.co/WgCOuGYniQ via @politico

— EyeOnLodi #LGM (@LodiNJNews) December 3, 2025

You might remember that this pattern of artists protesting the administration’s use of their music has been going on for a while now. This isn’t the first time the Trump team has faced backlash over unauthorized soundtracks.

American singer and guitarist Kenny Loggins recently demanded the removal of a video posted by the president that used his massive hit Danger Zone from the movie Top Gun. That video, which used AI-generated images of President Trump as a fighter pilot dropping excrement on political opponents, was seriously gross. Back in 2024, Celine Dion condemned the use of her iconic song My Heart Will Go On in a campaign video. Beyoncé reacted similarly that same year over the use of her song Freedom.

The White House is facing serious backlash after using pop artist Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song Juno to promote the Trump administration’s deportation efforts in a new video, and the specific lyrical choice is truly shocking. This latest video is a montage showing several arrests made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the soundtrack seems to be mocking the detainees.

The clip in question features the lyrics, “have you ever tried this one?” which is a direct and awful reference to how Sabrina has been performing the song on her recently wrapped Short n’ Sweet Tour. If you’re unfamiliar with her live routine, after she sings that lyric in concert, Sabrina demonstrates a different sex position on each tour stop. To then overlay that lyric onto a montage of people being detained and physically positioned during arrest is incredibly weird.

This incident marks the latest time a major pop star’s music has been co-opted for DHS’s mission, and it makes you wonder if Sabrina will follow the lead of her fellow pop princess, Olivia Rodrigo. Interestingly, Sabrina and Olivia had actually squashed their rumored feud earlier this year, so it’ll be fascinating to watch if Sabrina claps back at The White House for using her single in such a controversial way.

This isn’t the White House’s first rodeo, but this one reaches a new low

Olivia Rodrigo faced a very similar situation recently. DHS ripped off her song All-American B**** to promote self-deportation, and Olivia did not hold back her reaction once she found out about the video. She commented directly on the post, telling them, “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.” The song has since been removed from the video, though it’s unclear whether the removal came from Olivia’s team or the government’s end.

It seems like the administration’s social media team hasn’t learned its lesson about using content without permission or understanding the artist’s intent. Several other high-profile figures and companies have also resisted the government’s attempt to use their work for promotional videos, pushing back hard when their content appears in these politically charged clips.

Have you ever tried this one?

Bye-bye pic.twitter.com/MS9OJKjVdX

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 1, 2025

For example, a DHS video released in September featured comedian Theo Von making a sarcastic joke about deportation in the background. He quickly shut that down and resisted the use of his material. Zach Bryan also objected when the DHS used one of his songs in a promo video. Even the Pokémon company, which would otherwise be amused by the White House’s attempt to portray Trump as a gaming icon, objected to having their material associated with this type of treatment.

This kind of content usage puts artists in a terrible position. It forces them to either ignore the issue or take a public stand against the administration’s policies, which can open them up to massive political backlash from certain fan groups. It’s already evident how the administration is ready to wage war on any opposing voice.

It’s safe to say that using a lyric that clearly references sex positions to mock the physical distress of detainees is a new low, and it puts Sabrina in a far more difficult spot than the other artists who simply had their songs used without context.