Katy Perry ‘deeply appalled’ over White House using her song in Iran war video

Katy Perry performs during the 49th edition of the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, on Saturday. Photograph: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA View image in fullscreen Katy Perry performs during the 49th edition of the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, on Saturday. Photograph: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA Katy Perry ‘deeply appalled’ over White House using her song in Iran war video Singer rebukes Trump administration after it uses her song Firework over footage of missile striking Iranian naval ship Pop star Katy Perry has condemned the Trump White House after it used her hit song Firework in a TikTok video showing US military strikes on Iranian targets, saying she never approved the use of her music. The White House video , which featured Firework playing over footage of a missile striking an Iranian naval ship, has amassed more than 6 million views. The post was captioned: “Iran has been warned.” Perry responded on Saturday with a statement on X criticizing what she called the unauthorized use of the song. “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 said. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.” Perry continued: “I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. 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. My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.” The White House launched its TikTok account in August 2025, when Donald Trump threatened to ban the platform months into his second presidency. Perry is among a number of artists to criticize the Trump administration over the unauthorized use of music in government social media posts, with the president picking fights with several – mostly female – pop singers. Olivia Rodrigo previously criticized the administration after one of her songs appeared in a government video promoting deportation efforts. Beyoncé also blocked Trump from using her song Freedom after it was featured in a campaign video on social media. The track had served as the central campaign song for former vice-president Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 White House election to Trump. In March, Kesha condemned the White House’s use of her song Blow in a military-promotional TikTok video, calling it a “show of blatant disregard for human life”. Sabrina Carpenter spoke out after her hit song Juno was used in a Trump-posted video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers making arrests. Carpenter called the video “evil and disgusting” and told the administration: “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” In June, Ariana Grande also rebuked the White House for using her song Bye in a social media post promoting US immigration arrests, describing t