Katy Perry has torn into the Trump administration after her 2010 anthem 'Firework' was used on the official White House TikTok to soundtrack footage of US military strikes on Iran. 'I am deeply appalled and angry to see "Firework" used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes', she wrote on X. 'I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.'
The nine-second clip, shared on the official White House TikTok account with the caption 'Iran has been warned', syncs Perry's own 'boom boom boom' lyric to footage of a missile strike, and has since drawn millions of views. Perry called it 'a complete violation of everything my song stands for', adding that her music 'is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare'.
A Song Written for Healing, But Used for War
'Firework' was released in 2010 as the third single from Perry's album Teenage Dream and quickly became a fixture of self-worth and anti-bullying messaging, spending four separate weeks at number one.
Perry said as much herself, explaining she wrote the track 'to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments.' Watching those same lyrics land on explosions instead is, by her own account, the opposite of what the song was ever meant to do.
I am deeply appalled and angry to see “Firework” used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 25, 2026
I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and…
The Trump Administration Hits Back
The response came fast. Kaelan Dorr, Deputy Assistant to the President, replied to Perry directly with 'This you?' and attached a clip from her 2012 concert film 'Part of Me', in which she appears in a military-style uniform.
It is a pointed jab, seemingly aimed at painting Perry's objection as inconsistent, and it has only added fuel to the row rather than settling it.
This you? https://t.co/Ycl14d088I pic.twitter.com/GdqhXW6T2Q
— Kaelan Dorr (@Kaelan47) July 25, 2026
Stars Line Up Against the White House
She is far from the only artist to clash with the administration over this. Ariana Grande objected last month after her song 'Bye' appeared in a TikTok promoting a border enforcement bill, writing that the White House should never use her music 'in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense'.
Kesha hit out in March when 'Blow' soundtracked footage of fighter jets, telling the account to 'stop using my music, perverts'. Olivia Rodrigo objected after 'All-American B*tch' appeared in a deportation-themed video, and Sabrina Carpenter and Celine Dion have also been named among artists pushing back on unauthorised use of their work. Grande has since launched a foundation supporting immigrant communities in response.
this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.
— Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) December 2, 2025
The Limits of Platform Enforcement
What is playing out here goes well beyond one artist and one clip. It is a clash between pop music, which often carries messages of empowerment, and a White House social strategy that continually seeks out viral songs to highlight serious, often violent news events.
It remains uncertain whether Perry can force the removal of the video. However, in the past, artists have successfully pushed back against similar issues, resulting in platforms muting audio clips while allowing the video footage to remain online.
@whitehouse Iran has been warned. 🎆
♬ original sound - The White House
As of now, the TikTok video is still active, and the song continues to play along with it. With several major artists expressing the same concerns, the ongoing debate over who has control over a song's interpretation shows no signs of ending soon.
