Taylor Swift's songs have been removed from videos posted on social media by Donald Trump's campaign and the White House. This follows Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and Trump's past criticisms of the singer.
The removal of Taylor Swift's songs from official campaign and White House social media content highlights the intersection of political messaging, celebrity influence, and the use of popular culture in political discourse.
Taylor Swift's songs have been removed from videos posted on social media by Donald Trump's campaign and the White House, silencing efforts to mock the pop star. A video posted August 3 featuring the US president and the first lady, Melania Trump, watching fireworks was posted this month on TikTok with Swift’s song August. Trump’s campaign later published another post, needling Swift over the title of her 2012 album, Red. Both videos are now silent. Trump-related social media accounts have used Swift’s music in other campaign videos, too, but several of those also no longer have sound. As the text with the August video suggests, Trump’s social media accounts have used pop stars’ songs as rage bait. They have featured music from artists including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Kenny Loggins, all of whom publicly objected to the use of their music. In this latest case, Swift has not commented. Trump had previously attacked Swift, who endorsed then Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" Trump declared at the time. Last year he wrote: "Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’" Swift’s Eras tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, according to Pollstar, generating about $2.2bn worldwide. Her album The Life of a Showgirl became the most pre-saved album ever on Spotify ahead of its October 2025 release.
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