Taylor Swift songs have been removed from multiple social media videos posted by Donald Trump’s campaign and the White House, according to reporting by Reuters and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The removals revive a long-running political tension between the pop superstar and the U.S. president, occurring as artists increasingly object to the unauthorized use of their music in political content.
Copyright Claims Silence TikTok Videos
The Trump campaign and the White House utilized several Swift tracks over recent months on platforms including TikTok, drawing public attention before the audio vanished from the posts. According to ABC, affected videos began displaying notices indicating that the music was unavailable due to a copyright claim or because the copyright owner made it unavailable.
Campaign Playlists and Social Media Posts
Reuters reported that the Trump campaign used two Swift songs on its TikTok page over a single week. One post played on song titles and lyrics with a caption reading, "Red (Donald Trump’s Version). Red (Taylor Swift Wrote A Whole Album About Republicans). Donald Trump. Everything Has Changed (At Our Southern Border). Donald Trump. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (The Biden Harris Administration). Donald Trump. The Last Time (An Autopen Runs The Country)."
In June, according to Reuters, the campaign posted a video featuring Swift’s track "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack. In April, the White House shared footage of the Artemis II crew meeting Trump, accompanied by the song "High Infidelity." Another TikTok posted in November featured "The Fate of Ophelia" from Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl, released the previous month. That video included images of the U.S. flag, monuments, and a 2023 arrest mugshot of Trump. ABC also noted that a Team Trump video used the 2020 song "August" while showing Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks.
Silence From Swift Amid Wider Industry Pushback
Neither Swift nor her representatives immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the audio removals, according to Reuters and ABC. There has been no public statement from the 36-year-old singer explaining whether she personally authorized action against the videos.
The dispute aligns with broader friction between the Trump administration and the music community. According to Reuters, dozens of artists, including Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have called on the Trump administration not to use their songs. Trump’s political operation has frequently relied on well-known pop and rock tracks, such as Village People’s "YMCA" at rallies, to engage supporters.
A History of Partisan Clash and Fake Endorsements
Swift’s relationship with Trump has been fraught since she stepped into partisan politics. For much of her early career, she avoided public political stances, but she broke that pattern during the 2018 Tennessee midterm elections to endorse Democratic candidates.
During Trump’s first term, Swift became increasingly vocal against his administration. In May 2020, amid civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, she accused Trump on social media of inflaming racial divisions and stated, "We will vote you out in November," later endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Ahead of the 2024 election, Trump shared artificial intelligence-generated images on social media that falsely suggested Swift and her fans were backing his candidacy. Swift subsequently cited those fake images as a key factor in her decision to publicly endorse Kamala Harris following the September 2024 presidential debate. Trump responded to the endorsement on social media by writing, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!"
Related reading