White House Fires Back: Noah Kahan's Music Use Sparks Political Row
Musician Noah Kahan and the White House are embroiled in a dispute over the unauthorized use of Kahan's song "American Cars" in Trump administration social media content. Kahan and his cowriter strongly condemned the use, despite the White House's defense and the song's availability via a UMG-Meta agreement. This incident adds Kahan to a growing list of artists opposing Trump's use of their music.
A recent controversy has erupted between musician Noah Kahan and the White House, following Kahan's criticism of President Donald Trump for utilizing his song "American Cars" in official social media propaganda. The dispute centers on videos and photos posted to TikTok and Instagram by the administration, featuring Kahan's track from his Billboard 200 No. 1 LP, "The Great Divide." These posts were part of an initiative celebrating Trump's visit to a Michigan auto plant, where the President highlighted American-made vehicles.
Kahan, the 29-year-old Vermont-bred singer and songwriter, expressed strong disapproval. He commented on an Instagram post, which has since had the sound disabled, stating, "Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration." His comment, made on July 27, garnered over 53,500 likes and more than 840 replies. Noah Levine, Kahan's frequent cowriter and co-author of "American Cars," also voiced his frustration with a blunt comment on Instagram, which was later removed but observed by numerous users.
Despite the backlash and the sound being disabled on Instagram, Kahan's song continues to accompany a White House TikTok video from the event. In this particular video, "American Cars" plays while President Trump is seen signing a white Corvette during his visit to the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Michigan.
The Trump administration has not backed down from the controversy. Kaelan Dorr, principal deputy communications director for the Trump administration, retweeted a Variety post detailing Kahan's comments, adding his own remarks. Dorr characterized Kahan's stance as "Symptoms of TDS," a reference to "Trump Derangement Syndrome," and quipped that it "apparently include having a northern attitude."
It is important to note the legal context surrounding the use of Kahan's music. His recordings are available for public use within the Instagram library, a result of a 2024 agreement between Universal Music Group and Meta, the parent company of Instagram. This allows for his music to be utilized on the platform without direct approval for each specific use.
Kahan joins a growing list of prominent artists who have publicly opposed the use of their music in campaign or administration promotional videos by Donald Trump. This extensive roster includes celebrated musicians such as Beyoncé, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Jack White/White Stripes, Kenny Loggins, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, and Rihanna, highlighting a recurring tension between political campaigns and artists regarding intellectual property and political endorsement.