Although Taylor Swift has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, the White House’s official TikTok account recently published a short clip set to her Billboard Hot 100 hit “The Fate of Ophelia.” The post pairs Swift’s lyrics with a sequence of photographs featuring the president, Vice President J.D. Vance and Melania Trump.

The montage syncs lines from the song with striking imagery: the lyric “Don’t care where the hell you been” appears over Trump’s 2023 mug shot related to charges alleging efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, while “‘Cause now you’re mine” overlays a photo of the president kissing an American flag.

The video concludes with an image of Trump lifting a container of McDonald’s fries, accompanied by a text alteration that reads, “The fate of America.”

Billboard has contacted Swift’s representatives for comment.

Given Swift’s well-known opposition to the former president, the rationale for the White House using her music in this way is unclear. Trump himself has publicly attacked Swift in the past — including a Truth Social post reading “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” after she reportedly endorsed his 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris.

The incident follows a broader pattern of political figures or their teams employing popular songs without artists’ consent. Recently, musician Kenny Loggins condemned an AI-generated video that used his recording of “Danger Zone” in a montage showing a simulated Trump flying a plane while defecating on protestors associated with the “No Kings” movement.

“I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” Loggins said. “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together.”

Whether the White House obtained clearance to use Swift’s song in the TikTok clip has not been made public.

Watch the TikTok clip (opens in a new tab): White House TikTok post

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