Some of Taylor Swift’s music has been taken out of social media videos shared by the campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump and the White House, which had used two of the popular American singer’s tracks in the past week. The White House and a representative for Swift did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Swift has not recently addressed Trump, but she did endorse his Democratic opponent, then Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2024. During the 2020 election, Swift expressed on social media that Trump was not wanted as president. Trump has criticized Swift on multiple occasions. After she endorsed Harris, he stated on social media, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” and later commented, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?'” Various artists, including Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have urged the Trump administration not to use their songs.
The Trump campaign featured two of Swift’s songs on its TikTok page over the past week. One video referenced Swift’s famous songs with a caption like “Red (Donald Trump’s Version).” In June, the campaign posted a video on TikTok with Swift’s new song “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the album Toy Story 5, captioned with a message showing Trump’s affection for the country and its people. This was the third instance where Trump used one of Swift’s songs in recent months. In April, the White House shared a video featuring Swift’s “High Infidelity,” and in November, they included “The Fate of Ophelia” from Swift’s album “The Life of a Showgirl” in a TikTok video.
These instances sparked significant reactions on social media. The White House spokesperson explained that these videos were created to attract media attention. Trump’s communication team, known for its active presence on social media, has shared various songs along with images related to Trump’s policies and events, such as immigration enforcement, military actions, and the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela.