Katy Perry ‘deeply appalled’ over White House using her song in Iran war video

Singer rebukes Trump administration after it uses her song Firework over footage of missile striking Iranian naval ship

Pop star Katy Perry has condemned the Trump White House after it used her hit song Firework in a TikTok video showing US military strikes on Iranian targets, saying she never approved the use of her music.

The White House video, which featured Firework playing over footage of a missile striking an Iranian naval ship, has amassed more than 6 million views. The post was captioned: “Iran has been warned.”

Perry responded on Saturday with a statement on X criticizing what she called the unauthorized use of the song.

“I am deeply appalled and angry to see ‘Firework’ used on the White House TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes,” the singer said. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”

Perry continued: “I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. 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 White House launched its TikTok account in August 2025, when Donald Trump threatened to ban the platform months into his second presidency.

Perry is among a number of artists to criticize the Trump administration over the unauthorized use of music in government social media posts, with the president picking fights with several – mostly female – pop singers.

Olivia Rodrigo previously criticized the administration after one of her songs appeared in a government video promoting deportation efforts.

Beyoncé also blocked Trump from using her song Freedom after it was featured in a campaign video on social media. The track had served as the central campaign song for former vice-president Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 White House election to Trump.

In March, Kesha condemned the White House’s use of her song Blow in a military-promotional TikTok video, calling it a “show of blatant disregard for human life”.

Sabrina Carpenter spoke out after her hit song Juno was used in a Trump-posted video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers making arrests. Carpenter called the video “evil and disgusting” and told the administration: “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”

In June, Ariana Grande also rebuked the White House for using her song Bye in a social media post promoting US immigration arrests, describing the video as “barbaric”.

Singer Jess Glynne also objected after the White House used her song Hold My Hand in a post on X promoting ICE deportations. Glynne said she felt “sick” that her music was being used to spread “division and hate”.

It was revealed in December that Perry is in a relationship with the former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who is familiar himself with Trump’s trolling. He has repeatedly been targeted by Trump, who has continually threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and has even suggested the US should annex the country, referring to Trudeau as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada”.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) lists the official death toll for the US-Iran conflict at 14 service members, with 420 total personnel wounded in action.

Those official metrics, however, have been subject to ongoing controversy due to a sudden drop from the 18 deaths and 482 wounded recorded days earlier.

The collapse of the ceasefire with Iran and the subsequent resumption of near-daily airstrikes starting on 6 July have sparked debate over how casualties are counted. Analysts and officials have questioned whether victims from the two weeks since should be tracked in a separate tally, a move that would be unprecedented.

The Trump administration is attempting to have the latest resumed strikes in Iran be treated as a separate campaign from Operation Epic Fury, the US military’s official name for the Iran conflict. The separate casualty count beginning 7 July stems from that.

The US House member Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, responded to the updated numbers in an X post, writing, “Let me explain this absurd ruse: The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire.

“The reality: By going more than 90 days without congressional authorization,” the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, “IS BREAKING THE LAW and must be held accountable”.