White House Uses Bad Bunny Song to Tout Trump Immigration Policy

The White House has sparked controversy by using a song by the popular Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny in a TikTok video to highlight former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The video, posted on the administration's TikTok account with seven million followers, features clips of Trump set to the lyrics of Bad Bunny's song 'La Mudanza.' The specific lyric used, 'Un aplauso pa' mami y papi, porque en verdad rompieron' ('A round of applause for mommy and daddy, because they really crushed it'), was recontextualized in the video's English caption as 'A round of applause for Donald J Trump because he really crushed it.'

This choice of music is particularly notable given Bad Bunny's vocal criticism of Trump's immigration policies. The artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, previously criticized Trump's performance during the Super Bowl halftime show. The White House video pairs the song's triumphant trumpet sounds with stark imagery, including footage of individuals being arrested by immigration agents and close-ups of handcuffed hands. While the faces of detainees are shown, the identities of the officers are obscured.

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A round of applause for Donald J Trump because he really crushed it

The administration frequently uses memes, AI-generated images, and trending song snippets on social media. However, this instance has drawn significant backlash. Many artists, including Katy Perry and Noah Kahan, have previously objected to their music being used to promote political agendas they do not support. The White House TikTok post has garnered over 950,000 views, with comments divided between supporters praising Trump's immigration enforcement and others condemning the "disrespect" shown to Bad Bunny. Some users even warned that the artist could sue for the unauthorized use of his song as political propaganda.

Bad Bunny has consistently opposed the Republican administration's immigration policies, which included promises of mass deportations. His opposition has influenced his touring decisions in the U.S. His recent album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' is a tribute to Puerto Rico's resilience and identity. Another song, 'Lo que le pasó a Hawaii,' protests gentrification by drawing parallels to territorial dispossession in the Caribbean nation. Trump, meanwhile, had previously described Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance as "terrible."

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Bad Bunny could sue them for using his songs as political propaganda.