Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Dealt With Trump Quietly. It’s a Smart Move
Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny have both quietly had their songs removed from TikTok videos posted by Donald Trump's administration and campaign accounts, rather than issuing public condemnations. The White House and Team Trump had used tracks such as Bad Bunny's "La Mudanza" and Swift's "August" in provocative clips touching on immigration and deportation figures, with captions seemingly designed to bait a reaction from the two superstars. Neither artist has commented publicly, but the tracks have since disappeared from the offending videos while remaining available for other TikTok users, suggesting a deliberate, low-key intervention rather than a coincidence.
The pattern follows similar incidents involving other artists, including Olivia Rodrigo, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Noah Kahan, whose music has also appeared in Trump-aligned social media clips without permission, prompting vocal criticism from those musicians. By contrast, Swift and Bad Bunny appear to be taking a more understated route, avoiding statements that could fuel further attention on the administration's social media output. The piece frames this as a shrewd strategic choice, allowing both stars to withdraw their music without amplifying the very provocation the videos seemed intended to generate.
- Swift and Bad Bunny had songs quietly pulled from Trump-linked TikTok videos
- Clips used "August" and "La Mudanza" in seemingly provocative posts
- Neither commented publicly, avoiding amplifying the administration's baiting tactics
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Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny are two of the world's biggest music stars, both with huge, devoted fanbases and a track record of steering clear of overt political statements. Donald Trump, as US president, has an administration and campaign team that run active social media accounts, including on TikTok, where short video clips are often set to popular music to boost engagement. Using someone's song in a video without their permission is common online, but it becomes more pointed when the artist is known to hold different political views from the account posting it.
In this case, TikTok videos from Trump-aligned accounts touching on immigration and deportation had used songs by Swift and Bad Bunny, with wording that seemed designed to provoke a public reaction from them. Both artists are widely seen as unlikely to align themselves with Trump's politics, and other musicians, including Olivia Rodrigo, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Noah Kahan, have previously objected loudly when their own music was used in similar clips.
This matters because it touches on wider questions about how political campaigns use celebrity culture and copyrighted music to reach audiences, and how public figures choose to respond when their work is used in ways they may not endorse, whether by speaking out or by acting quietly behind the scenes.