Trump Admin. Turns Carpenter Songs Into a Political Punchline
With holiday cheer comes political hostility. One particular celebrity is taking the brunt of it this season as the Trump administration doubles down on using Sabrina Carpenter’s music to push its messaging around immigration enforcement—something Carpenter herself is strongly against. Shortly after the 2024 election, Carpenter made her political sentiments clear when she told a crowd during a concert, “Sorry about our country.” So when her music appeared in pro-ICE political content, she didn’t hold back. She called the video “evil and disgusting,” adding, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Yet instead of apologizing or removing the content, Trump communications director Abigail Jackson doubled down by using more of Carpenter’s lyrics to reinforce the administration’s agenda. A song originally crafted around heartbreak suddenly became a vehicle for political propaganda. What kind of world are we in? One where emotional expression is repurposed into “dog-eat-dog” messaging—where early bird gets the worm, fend for yourself narratives bleed into policy conversations, especially surrounding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
This is the message repeatedly fed to Americans: people don’t matter—money matters. Having enough isn’t enough; having an abundance is what counts. When political leaders push this ideology from every angle, it becomes hard for the public not to absorb and mimic it.
This is supposed to be a season of giving, gratitude, and grace. Instead, the Trump administration emphasizes deportation, separation, and abandonment—pulling people out of their homes and workplaces, including those who sought asylum and safety. One gay man, Andry Hernández Romero from Venezuela, faced exactly this. When he arrived seeking asylum, immigration officers misinterpreted his crown tattoos as gang-related and detained him. Despite severe risks to his safety, he was deported.
By pairing upbeat pop music with footage of ICE arrests, the administration softens the brutality of the situation and undermines the safety and individuality of those targeted. It also places artists in a difficult position: Their work becomes vulnerable to political repurposing. When the government pushes the loudest message, context gets rewritten, and once-artistic expression is easily misinterpreted. If we out whats going on we can address the suppression and move on together without anyone else’s life falling apart at the hands of a non-convictable criminal and the steps to take as Americans is keep trump away from the oval office when he tries to flip the rules for only his benefit.
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