Last week, the White House’s social media team posted what I referred to as a Gestapo fan-cam. It was a hype video for the lunatics at ICE, and the video was set to a Sabrina Carpenter song. Sabrina was justifiably pissed off, and she replied to the White House’s account: “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” Sabrina’s reply got so much traction (1.8 million likes, 163 million views) that the White House account removed their original video… only to post a different video in which they manipulated a clip of Sabrina from SNL. The White House psychos wanted her to know that they still “owned” her in some sick, horrible way. Well, the WH account posted a new video using SZA’s “Big Boys.” SZA reacted immediately.
SZA is calling out Donald Trump’s administration after her music was used in a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) video that she says was designed to provoke artists into reacting publicly.
Her criticism comes amid growing tension between musicians who have objected to their songs being used in political messaging without approval. Others who have publicly shared their frustration include Olivia Rodrigo, Jack White, Céline Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Linkin Park, R.E.M., Neil Young and most recently, Sabrina Carpenter, who just last week slammed the Trump Administration for using one of her songs to promote ICE arrests. The White House responded to Carpenter’s viral response by quietly removing the video — before doubling down with a second video, this time using her likeness. And on Monday, Dec. 8, they shared a new video, this time dragging SZA into the conversation.
Set to Grammy winner’s song, “Big Boys,” the clip featuring ICE officers in military-style fatigues carrying out arrests.
The White House’s caption read, “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.”
SZA, 34, quickly condemned both the message and the use of her work.
“White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity + shock and aw tactics … Evil n Boring”” she wrote in an X post on Wednesday, Dec. 10, calling the decision to pair her track with the video “rage baiting artists” for engagement.
After SZA’s post gained traction, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded directly, using the moment to amplify the administration’s message instead of addressing the rights concerns artists have raised. “Thank you, SZA, for drawing even more attention to the tremendous work America’s ICE officers are doing by arresting dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities,” Jackson said.
I’m glad SZA called it what it is and correctly predicted the response. That doesn’t make the White House’s response any less stupid or less psychotic. It’s all so pathetic from the White House too – a bunch of sad, bloated, attention-starved dumbf–ks acting like teenage trolls trying to “bait” artists for clout. I appreciate that artists are stuck between “not wanting to engage with fascists at any level” versus “wanting to point out to their fans that they have not consented to the use of their images or music for Gestapo propaganda.” There’s no right answer, but I appreciate the artists who speak out.
White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity +shock and aw tactics ..Evil n Boring https://t.co/PIKoYEdn2y
— SZA (@sza) December 10, 2025
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Singer SZA arrives at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563620121, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- SZA poses for photographers at Departures from The Mark Hotel to The Metropolitan Museum Costume Istitute Gala on May 2, 2022 in New York, New York, USA.,Image: 688679502, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: SZA, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
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- Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA, USA – 09 Feb 2025 SZA performing with Kendrick Lamar during the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. New Orleans Caesars Superdome, LA USA, UK NEWSPAPERS OUT Copyright: xSeanxRyanx,Image: 962058961, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Sean Ryan/Avalon/Avalon
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- 2022 Met Gala celebrating ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ – Arrivals Featuring: SZA Where: New York, New York, United States When: 02 May 2022 Credit: John Nacion/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
She’s right. It is peak dark and it’s the dumbing down of the presidency and its office.
James Donald Bowman is out here posting about how Cardi is Out and Nikki is In. Absolute nonsense from hateful, trashy people. What a damn disgrace.
Many of the groups and upstanding community volunteers who intervene to try to prevent ICE from illegally kidnapping people have found that the most effective methods include yelling things at them that attack their fragile masculinity – things like talking about how small their d***s are, etc.
So while I applaud how both Carpenter and SZA immediately, clearly and unequivocally called out the atrocities of this BS, and typically I wouldn’t recommend the following,
I really hope they – and any other famous person they implicate via music , etc. – take it to playground taunt level and only engage with crass comments about their small d energy/tiny pen1ses, etc.
Just humiliate the F out of them.
Because that’s the only kind of language gross little bullies like this listen to.
(And it takes away the WH power to manipulate their real and important criticisms, like they did with SZA’s comments. If artists are just out there putting them on blast for their pathetic “manhood,” they’ll stop a lot faster than they will when artists voice their legitimate critiques – esp. since the WH et al don’t think women’s voices and opinions matter on political subjects. But they will sure be humiliated if the messaging is “ICE agents have tiny Ds” etc.)
They have been having problems dealing with the snow in Minneapolis. HAHAHA, some ICE!
This is essentially their problem, they have no actual policy that they’re trying to do to improve the lives of Americans, everything is just ” own the libs”. This entire administration is populated by the same trolls that stalk people from social media website to social media website because they need their attention and to feel like they’re getting under your skin.
When you ignore them and basically point out that they just want your attention and you just want them to go away, they get frustrated. Meanwhile they’re doing abhorrent unconstitutional acts, for the lulz. It’s just despicable and I hope finally after being on this repeat cycle for my entire life, that people stop trying to find their perfect love match for life in candidates and get out and vote for people who aren’t trying to ruin your life and point and laugh while doing so.
The administration probably has hired attention seeking, dumbf*ck, teenage trolls to create these videos for the exact reasons SZA called out. This is how they spend our hard earned tax dollars.
It’s not possible for this admin to do anything remotely classy or intelligent or even normal. They were the unpopular kids and now are the stupid bullies. F them all.
She’s absolutely right. It’s dark and depressing.
They won’t have the nerve to go after Kendrick Lamar!
Their manipulation of Taylor Swift images + unauthorized use of music during the campaign told us what they’d do.
I think the best response would be to post video clips of citizens taken by ICE; mothers dragged away from their children; baby (citizen) pepper-sprayed through open car window while father (legal) just tries to turn around and get out of the mess. Etc.
+ video clips of today’s House hearing with Noem DHS (“here’s a veteran you deported. Here’s citizen who was taken.” Etc) + FBI guy on the hunt for Antifa and absolutely flummoxed + embarrassed by questions (Q: Where are they headquartered? How many are there? it’s an organization or just antifascist citizens? Etc)