Rodrigo is positioning herself as an artist defending her creative integrity and standing up against hate. Her immediate public condemnation of the unauthorized use shows she's not afraid to call out powerful forces, even at potential cost.
Insiders say Rodrigo's team has been fielding calls from other artists who've faced similar unauthorized usage. The White House appears to have a pattern of using popular music without permission as part of its aggressive immigration messaging campaign.
The DHS video was posted November 4 with the caption: 'LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don't, you will face the consequences.' Rodrigo commented directly on that post calling it 'racist, hateful propaganda.' The song used was from her 2023 album 'Guts' β not her upcoming third studio album.
This is a clear case of artistic theft weaponized for politics. When your administration needs to steal pop music to make ICE detention look cool, maybe the policy itself is the problem.
Olivia Rodrigo says she was scrolling on her phone last fall when she stumbled across something that made her blood boil β Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security had been using her song "All-American Bitch" in a pro-ICE propaganda video. The pop star, known for her sharp lyrics and Gen-Z cultural commentary, did not stay quiet about it. The video, posted on November 4, featured Rodrigo's track β the opening song from her 2023 sophomore album "Guts" β layered over footage of ICE agents detaining people of color.
The DHS caption read: "LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don't, you will face the consequences." Over those images played Rodrigo's lyrics: "All the time, I'm grateful all the time, I'm sexy and I'm kind, I'm pretty when I cry." The juxtaposition was jarring, pairing an anthem about female complexity with federal agents in tactical gear. Rodrigo fired back immediately by commenting on the DHS post directly.
"Don't ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda," she wrote. In a new interview with Dazed magazine β conducted ahead of the release of her third studio album dropping June 12 β Rodrigo elaborated on that visceral reaction. "It was so deeply disturbing to see that propaganda, and the fact it was my song in there made me feel even more enraged." She didn't hold back in the interview either: "What they're doing is so awful and barbaric and cruel.
I am really sad to be in a country that thinks that's okay." Rodrigo's public condemnation places her among a growing list of musicians who've found their work co-opted by Trump's White House without permission or compensation. Last December, the DHS used Sabrina Carpenter's song "Juno" in a similar pro-ICE video, prompting Carpenter to post: "This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda." Kenny Loggins made headlines last October after the White House used his classic hit "Danger Zone" in a video depicting Trump flying over No Kings protestors β imagery that included cartoon feces falling on demonstrators.
Loggins released a statement at the time sharing his disgust: "This is an unauthorized use of my performance of 'Danger Zone.' Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately." He added: "I can't imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together." What makes Rodrigo's situation particularly galling is that her song carries an ironic bite the DHS clearly didn't catch.
"All-American Bitch" is literally a critique β a sardonic exploration of the pressure placed on women, especially young women, to perform gratitude and perfection at all times. Using it as background music for immigration enforcement was like handing someone a megaphone to shout about their own hypocrisy. Rodrigo's upcoming album "You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love" drops June 12, and sources close to her say this controversy has only intensified her focus on using her platform unapologetically.
