The campaign and White House of U.S. President Donald Trump have recently removed certain Taylor Swift songs from their social media videos. Swift, a popular American singer, had her music featured in these videos over the past week. Both the White House and Swift’s representative did not provide immediate responses to requests for comments.
Swift, who publicly endorsed Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris in 2024, has been vocal about her disapproval of Trump in the past. During the 2020 campaign, she expressed on social media that Trump was not wanted as president.
Trump, in turn, has criticized Swift openly. He expressed disdain for her after she endorsed Harris and even made remarks about her appearance. Several other artists, such as Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have also requested that the Trump administration refrain from using their music.
The Trump campaign utilized two Swift songs on their TikTok page recently. One video made references to Swift’s famous songs, like “Red (Donald Trump’s Version).” Additionally, a video posted in June featured Swift’s song “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the fictitious movie “Toy Story 5,” with captions praising Trump’s love for the country.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has used Swift’s music in their videos. Previous instances include the use of her song “High Infidelity” and lyrics from “Do you really want to know where I was April 29th?” in a video in April. Another video in November featured the song “The Fate of Ophelia” from Swift’s album “The Life of a Showgirl.”
The White House defended the use of these songs, stating that they anticipated media coverage and reactions. The communication team for Trump, known for their active social media presence, has incorporated various hit songs in videos showcasing different events and policies, including immigration actions, military operations, and the arrest of Nicolas Maduro.
The removal of Swift’s songs from the Trump campaign and White House videos has sparked significant reactions on social media and among news outlets. It remains to be seen how this development will impact future social media strategies of the administration.
