Sabrina Carpenter lost her mind over an ICE video and got trolled with her own SNL clip within days.
Olivia Rodrigo screamed about "racist propaganda" – and the White House kept right on playing her music.
Now Kesha called the president a "criminal predator" and accused the White House of using her song to "incite violence and threaten war" – and Steven Cheung just thanked her for the free publicity.
Kesha Called the White House "Perverts" – Then Steven Cheung Said This
The White House posted a TikTok on February 10 showing American fighter jets launching and a ship exploding, timed to Kesha's 2010 hit "Blow" – specifically the lyric "this place about to blow" – with the caption "Lethality."
Kesha posted a statement calling it "disgusting and inhumane" and said the display was a "blatant disregard for human life" and "an attack on all of our nervous systems."
https://twitter.com/KeshaRose/status/2028609721981145216?s=20
She called Trump "a criminal predator," tagged the White House, and told them to "stop using my music, perverts."
Cheung's response on X was three sentences: "All these 'singers' keep falling for this. This just gives us more attention and more view counts to our videos because people want to see what they're bitching about. Thank you for your attention to this matter."
That last line – Trump's signature phrase from Truth Social – was the cherry on top.
Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, and Olivia Rodrigo All Fell for the Same Trap
Every single outburst from a celebrity singer has produced more views, more shares, and more attention for the administration's message than the original video ever would have generated alone.
Sabrina Carpenter called an ICE deportation video "evil and disgusting" in December 2025 – and within days the White House posted a manipulated clip of her SNL appearance where they edited her voice to call a cast member "illegal" instead of "hot."
https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2028629209086665068?s=20
SZA called the White House's use of her song "Big Boy" in an ICE video "evil and boring" – earning a response from Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson that torched her in front of millions.
Olivia Rodrigo told the White House not to use her songs for "racist, hateful propaganda" – and DHS publicly suggested she should thank ICE agents instead of criticizing them.
The White House isn't stumbling into these confrontations.
It's collecting them.
Reagan Ran From Artists Who Objected. Trump Turns Them Into His Best Ads.
In 1984, Bruce Springsteen told Ronald Reagan to stop using "Born in the U.S.A." at campaign rallies – and Reagan's people apologized and backed down.
Trump's White House doesn't back down.
It doubles down and posts your SNL clip with your voice edited to call someone "illegal."
That's the difference between then and now, and Kesha just found out the hard way.
The February 10 TikTok racked up 14.5 million views and 1.8 million likes before Kesha said a word about it.
https://twitter.com/joeroganhq/status/2028961115011715430?s=20
When millions more rushed to find the video she was screaming about, here's what they saw: American fighter jets launching clean off a carrier deck, a ship turning into a fireball, and the word "Lethality" stamped across the screen.
That's not inciting war.
That's America telling its enemies what's coming.
Kesha handed the White House that second audience for free – and Steven Cheung cashed the check.
Sources:
- Alana Mastrangelo, "White House Mocks Kesha for Whining About Admin. Using Her Music," Breitbart, March 3, 2026.
- Lydia Patrick, "White House Has Message for Kesha After She Denounces Iran War Post," Newsweek, March 4, 2026.
- Gabriel Hays, "Pop star SZA lashes out at White House: 'Evil n Boring' deportation post using her song," Fox News, December 12, 2025.
- Kit Maher, "Inside the White House's norm-breaking social media strategy," CNN, August 24, 2025.