The White House used Sabrina Carpenter to promote ICE raids, again

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Lately, the White House’s social media team has been making a habit out of using pop songs in videos depicting mass deportations. It’s typical rage-baiting, engagement farming for clicks. In this divisive, social media-driven era that we’re in, it’s a simple, if not frustrating and embarrassing formula. The White House have made it their calling card to profit from these videos with thousands of views online and then promptly delete the audio before they can be sued over it. Sabrina Carpenter was a recent victim, as her song “Juno” was used in a video of cruel, inhumane ICE arrests captioned: “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.”

Carpenter responded on X from her official account, disavowing the use of her music to promote a remorseless agenda: “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” The video was deleted, though White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to Carpenter herself with plenty of references to the pop star’s music, saying: “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?”

The White House hasn’t learned its lesson, clearly. Carpenter has a tradition of “arresting” an audience member for being “too hot” before performing “Juno” at her shows. In a promotional clip for her SNL appearance in October, she told cast member Marcello Hernandez, “I think I might need to arrest someone for being too hot.” Well, the heartless bastards on the White House’s social media team clipped that and changed “hot” to “illegal” with an AI voice. Oh, and then the video showed more ICE arrests.

The Man’s Best Friend singer hasn’t clapped back yet this time, but I hope she does soon. I don’t know what a pop star beefing with the American government means for the state of bleakness that we’re currently in, but it can’t mean anything good. You can see the White House’s video for yourself below, I guess.