Noah Kahan’s “American Cars” topped the Billboard 200 this year and has been selling out arenas on his current tour. This week, it also found its way into a presidential photo op he never approved.
The White House posted footage Monday of Trump touring GM’s flagship test site in Michigan, set to Kahan’s song. Fans got to the comments before Kahan did, with one asking: “And did you ask @noahkahanmusic for permission to play American Cars?”
Another wrote: “Such an amazing song by Noah Kahan now ruined.”
Kahan responded the next day. “Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration,” he wrote.
Noah Kahan claps back at Trump’s White House for using his music:
“Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration” pic.twitter.com/NgJ379YYQH
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) July 29, 2026
His co-writer, Noah Levine, wasn’t interested in matching that tone. “You fat f— this song isn’t for you,” he wrote, addressing Trump by name.
Noah Levine (co-writer of the song) commented on the post
“You fat fuck this song isn’t for you” https://t.co/Sm5QqAoS8U pic.twitter.com/M2fIUvDQMe
— Noah Kahan Archive (@KahanArchive) July 28, 2026
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The White House pulled the audio from Instagram not long after.
This kind of thing has happened to other artists too.
Days earlier, Katy Perry found her 2010 song “Firework” paired with military strike footage in a TikTok video captioned “Iran has been warned,” timed to land on her own lyric. “I am deeply appalled and angry to see ‘Firework’ used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes,” she wrote. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.” She added: “To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for. My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”
The response to Perry’s complaint wasn’t an apology, it was a second video.
After removing “Firework,” the account posted footage set to Perry’s “Part of Me,” splicing clips from her own military-themed music video alongside images of Trump and fighter jets. White House aide Kaelan Dorr posted the clip on X with a single word: “Hi,” followed by a waving hand emoji.
The list of artists who’ve objected to this treatment keeps getting longer.
Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Jack White, Celine Dion, Kesha, Olivia Rodrigo, the Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Adele, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Kenny Loggins, Ozzy Osbourne and Rihanna have all pushed back publicly. Ariana Grande objected in June after her song “Bye” was used to soundtrack footage of federal immigration officers making arrests. Sabrina Carpenter raised a nearly identical complaint over her own music appearing in posts highlighting immigration raids.
Featured image via X screengrab
