The White House has continued engaging with Katy Perry following her critique of the Trump administration’s use of her song “Firework” in a TikTok video depicting military actions against Iran. In response to Perry’s disapproval, the White House shared another video featuring her 2012 hit “Part of Me.” The video juxtaposed scenes from Perry’s music video, where she is seen in military attire holding a weapon, with footage of Donald Trump, military personnel, and fighter jets. The video is captioned with a lyric from the song, “Now look at me.”
Trump aide Kaelan Dorr also shared the video on X, playfully tagging Perry with a greeting and a waving hand emoji. This exchange came after Perry’s initial criticism of the use of “Firework.” Dorr posted a clip from the “Part of Me” video, questioning Perry with the caption, “This you?”
The controversy began when the White House uploaded a brief video on TikTok featuring Perry’s “Firework” synchronized with footage suggesting U.S. military actions in Iran, captioned “Iran has been warned.” Perry expressed her dismay on X, stating she did not authorize or support the usage of her music, clarifying that she no longer has control over the rights to her earlier songs. Subsequently, the music was removed from the video.
While Perry has not responded to the latest video, other artists such as Ariana Grande, Bruce Springsteen, Kesha, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo have also criticized the Trump administration for using their music without permission.