Multiple TikTok videos recently released by United States President Donald Trump's campaign team and the White House have had Taylor Swift's songs forcibly removed by copyright holders. The video pages display the notice: "Audio unavailable due to a copyright claim." This sudden music-removal controversy has reignited years-long political friction between Trump and the global pop superstar.
According to reports from Reuters and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the "Team Trump" TikTok account previously posted a video using Swift's 2020 hit "August" as background music. Footage showed Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks. The post tagged Taylor Swift, claiming she would be "super excited" about her music being used. The audio for this video has since been taken down.
Multiple Tracks Pulled Amid Copyright ClaimsBeyond "August", audio for several Taylor Swift tracks has been removed from TikTok clips published by the Trump campaign and the White House. These include "Father Figure" and "Opalite" from her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl", alongside "Red (TV)", "Love Story", "Daylight" and "The Fate of Ophelia". Some affected videos show prompts reading: "Music unavailable due to copyright claim" or "Made unavailable by the copyright owner." Neither Taylor Swift nor the White House has responded to media requests for comment. There has been no public statement confirming whether the 36-year-old singer personally authorised the copyright takedowns.
Political clashes between Taylor Swift and Donald Trump stretch back years. During the 2024 US presidential election, Trump's team shared AI-altered fake images purporting to show Swift and her fans endorsing Trump. Swift subsequently publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. On Instagram, she described Harris as "a steady-handed, gifted leader." She signed off her post with: "Childless Cat Lady" - a pointed retort to controversial remarks made by Trump's running-mate JD Vance.
Furious at Swift's endorsement, Trump posted on social media: "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" In 2025, Trump mocked Swift again, questioning whether she was still "hot" after his public outburst. Despite their heated exchanges, Swift largely avoided public commentary on President Trump throughout his second term.
This takedown controversy is not an isolated incident. Multiple artists including Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have previously objected to their music being deployed in videos by the Trump administration and campaign. The White House and Taylor Swift's representatives have yet to release further statements on the episode. This copyright battle waged over TikTok soundtracks reflects the growing tensions between America's entertainment industry and its political circles.
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