The White House answered Katy Perry’s fury over “Firework” being used in an Iran strike video by throwing another one of her own songs back at her.
After Perry accused the Trump administration of turning her 2010 hit into a soundtrack for “destruction and violence,” Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr responded on X with a montage from Perry’s 2012 “Part of Me” video, where the singer is shown joining the U.S. Marines and training alongside service members.
“This you?” Dorr wrote.
Fox News had reached out to the White House for comment after Perry objected to the official White House TikTok account using “Firework” behind a montage of missile attacks carried out by the U.S. government. The video was captioned, “Iran has been warned.”
@whitehouse Iran has been warned. 🎆
Perry took her complaint to X, then reposted the statement on Instagram Stories.
“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.
The singer said the White House had no permission to use the track and said the song’s meaning had been twisted.
This you? https://t.co/Ycl14d088I pic.twitter.com/GdqhXW6T2Q
— Kaelan Dorr (@Kaelan47) July 25, 2026
“I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it,” Perry wrote.
“I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments.
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“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,” she added.
The “Firework” fight came after Perry had already used her platform against the administration in January, when she posted anti-ICE material after the shooting death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Perry urged her 195 million Instagram followers to “turn anger into action.”
She is also not the only pop star to object after Trump administration accounts paired their songs with military or immigration enforcement videos.
Sabrina Carpenter went after the White House last December when “Juno” was used in a TikTok celebrating arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter wrote to the official White House X account.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “All-American Bitch” was also used in an ICE immigration enforcement video posted Nov. 4.
The clip warned viewers, “LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don’t, you will face the consequences.”
Rodrigo pushed back directly in the comments.
“Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,” she wrote.
She later described the moment she found the video while scrolling on her phone.
“I was just scrolling on my phone. It was so deeply disturbing to see that propaganda, and the fact it was my song in there made me feel even more enraged,” Rodrigo told Dazed Digital this month.
“What they’re doing is so awful and barbaric and cruel. I am really sad to be in a country that thinks that’s OK.”
According to Variety, Rodrigo had also said the propaganda was “so deeply disturbing” and that hearing her own song in it left her “even more enraged.” The song was later muted in the White House video.
Ariana Grande unloaded in June after her song “Bye” was used in a TikTok showing ICE arrests.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. f– ice,” Grande wrote in the comments section.
Kesha’s clash with the White House centered on a different kind of clip. Her 2010 song “Blow” was used in a Feb. 10 TikTok showing a military ship being hit by a missile. The post carried the caption, “Lethality.”
The following month, Kesha accused the White House of using her music to push violence.
“It’s come to my attention that The White House has used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war,” she posted on X.
Kesha criticizes the White House after her song ‘Blow’ was used in a TikTok video posted by its official account:
“It’s come to my attention that The White House has used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war. Trying to make light of war is disgusting and… pic.twitter.com/3ljLGWJwyB
— Pop Flop (@ThePopFlop) March 2, 2026
“Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane. I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind. Love always trumps hate. please love yourself and each other in times like this,” Kesha added.
She called the post “the opposite of what I stand for.”
“This show of blatant disregard for human life and quite frankly this attack on all of our nervous systems is the opposite of what I stand for.”
Away from the White House fight, Perry has also been in the headlines over her romance with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 54.
The pair first sparked dating rumors one year ago, went Instagram official in December 2025 and were later seen holding hands at Crazy Horse Paris while celebrating Perry’s birthday in October.
Their Coachella appearance drew ridicule in April, when Trudeau walked the festival grounds in a backward cap and carried a red Solo cup while Justin Bieber phoned in a sleepy performance.
In May, Perry appeared with Trudeau at the Met Gala in her first public appearance since “Orange Is the New Black” actress Ruby Rose accused her of sexual assault.
Rose had alleged on social media the previous month that Perry sexually assaulted her at a Melbourne nightclub 20 years ago.
“I was only in my early 20s. I’m now 40. It has taken almost 2 decades to say this publicly,” Rose wrote.
“Though I am so grateful to have made it long enough to find my voice, it just shows how much of an impact trauma and sexual assault takes. Thank you for seeing me.”
Rose confirmed to the Herald Sun that she had filed official reports with local law enforcement, and Australian police launched an investigation into Perry.
Perry’s representative denied the allegation at the time.
“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous, reckless lies,” the representative said.
“Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.”
Trudeau later took heat in June for missing Canada’s World Cup opener to watch Perry sing at the U.S. team’s opener.
At age 54, Justin Trudeau finally gets his big break in the entertainment industry with a bit-part playing a mexican jumping-bean in a Katy Perry video. https://t.co/vJgYPiKkpp
— Josh Ryan 🍁 (@joshryanjames) July 10, 2026
“Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup,” Trudeau wrote.
In July, Trudeau was seen jumping around with Perry in a music video.