WASHINGTON — Several Taylor Swift songs have been removed from social media videos posted by President Donald Trump’s campaign and the White House after the tracks were used in posts promoting Trump and his political message, according to Reuters and media reports.
The removed music included songs featured in recent TikTok videos on Trump-related accounts. In one video posted by Trump’s campaign, Swift’s “August” accompanied footage of Trump and first lady Melania Trump watching fireworks. The post included a caption referring directly to Swift and suggesting she would be pleased by the use of her song. The audio was later muted.
Other videos using Swift’s music also became unavailable with their original audio. One campaign post used a play on the title of Swift’s 2012 album “Red,” while another featured music from her catalog alongside images of Trump.
The removals were visible on TikTok as copyright-related restrictions, although neither Swift nor her representatives have publicly explained the action. Reuters reported that the White House and Trump campaign did not provide a specific reason for the removals.
Swift has previously endorsed Democrats in U.S. presidential politics. In 2024, she endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent, in the presidential election. Trump has repeatedly criticized Swift, including after her endorsement.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions between the Trump administration and musicians over the use of their work in political and government social media posts. Artists including Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and others have objected to the use of their music in Trump administration content. In some cases, songs were subsequently removed from videos.
The White House has previously used Swift’s music in its social media content. In November 2025, for example, the White House posted a TikTok video using “The Fate of Ophelia,” a Swift song, with footage of Trump and administration officials. The White House at the time said the post was intended in part to generate media attention.
Swift has not publicly commented on the latest removals, and there has been no announcement of a broader legal dispute over the videos.
As of Sunday, the affected Trump campaign and White House posts remained online in some cases but without the Swift recordings, leaving the videos available with their original audio removed.
