Ariana Grande has told President Donald Trump’s political team to stop using her music after the official Team Trump TikTok account featured her 2024 hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” in a video promoting its position on transgender issues.
The singer responded directly beneath the Aug. 20 post. “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false,” Grande wrote, according to Variety.
The TikTok showed Trump walking toward a podium while using the song’s lyric “Me and my truth we sit in silence” before displaying text stating that men cannot have babies and should not compete in women’s sports. Team Trump captioned the clip, “This shouldn’t be controversial!” and included hashtags referencing Trump, Grande and MAGA.
Grande’s response follows another dispute over her music only two months earlier. In June, she objected after the White House’s official TikTok account used another song from her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine, “Bye,” over a video promoting the administration’s immigration enforcement.
Team Trump Used ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ in a Video About Transgender Issues
@teamtrump This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga ♬ original sound – Amina Kaddachi
The video appeared on Team Trump’s official TikTok account on Aug. 20 and used Grande’s song as part of a viral-format political message. After the opening lyric, the video displayed the statement that men cannot have babies and “should never compete in women’s sports.”
PEOPLE reported that Grande’s response appeared in the comments beneath the post but was no longer visible when the outlet later checked the video. Variety reported that a White House representative did not immediately respond to its request for comment about the latest dispute.
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” was released on Grande’s Eternal Sunshine album in March 2024 and became one of the album’s biggest hits.
Grande Had Already Told the White House to Stop Using ‘Bye’
@whitehouseBye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history♬ original sound – The White House
Grande’s new demand comes just over two months after a similar confrontation involving the White House’s official TikTok account. The June 9 video used “Bye,” another track from Eternal Sunshine, over footage showing federal immigration agents arresting and handcuffing people. The White House used the post to promote Trump’s immigration and border policies.
Grande objected directly. “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” she wrote, according to Reuters. A source close to Grande told Reuters at the time that her team was looking into having the music removed. PEOPLE subsequently reported that the sound on the TikTok had been muted.
Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the administration viewed people in the country illegally who had committed violent crimes as the source of what was “barbaric, inhumane, and heinous.”
The New Clash Also Aligns With Grande’s Public Support for LGBTQ+ Causes
Grande has repeatedly voiced support for LGBTQ+ people and transgender rights. Following Trump’s January 2025 executive actions on gender policy, Grande shared messages from Advocates for Trans Equality expressing support for transgender people.
In June 2026, she expanded that advocacy by launching the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation. Its programs include a Protect & Defend Fund supporting organizations working on LGBTQ+, civil and reproductive rights and a Seen & Celebrated Fund focused on LGBTQ+ voices and stories. Beneficiaries announced with the initiative included Lambda Legal, Trans Lifeline, the Trans Youth Emergency Project and SAGE.