Katy Perry slammed the Trump administration after the White House’s TikTok account used her hit “Firework” on a video of military strikes.
“I am deeply appalled and angry to see “Firework” used on the White House TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes,” the singer wrote on X. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”
The offending 9-second TikTok, posted two days ago by the White House account, shows “unclassified” video of U.S.-fired missiles hitting port targets in Iran as Perry sings “Boom, boom, boom / Even brighter than the moon.” “Iran has been warned,” the caption read.
“I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments,” Perry continued in her tweet Saturday. “To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for.”
Perry is the latest pop star to decry the White House social media team’s unauthorized use of their music, joining the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.
The White House TikTok appears to be seeking out music by artists who strongly dislike Trump in their endless pursuit of shitposting; earlier this month, the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” — written by avowed Trump critic Jack White — soundtracked a different White House TikTok about military action.
“My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare,” Perry wrote Saturday.
