Daniel Kreps
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Katy Perry Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images Katy Perry slammed the Trump administration after the White House’s TikTok account used her hit “Firework” on a video of military strikes.
“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 wrote on X. “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”
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. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it. I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and…
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 25, 2026
The offending 9-second TikTok, posted two days ago by the White House account, shows “unclassified” video of U.S.-fired missiles hitting port targets in Iran as Perry sings “Boom, boom, boom / Even brighter than the moon.” “Iran has been warned,” the caption read.
@whitehouseIran has been warned. 🎆
♬ original sound – The White House
“I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments,” Perry continued in her tweet Saturday. “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.”
Perry is the latest pop star to decry the White House social media team’s unauthorized use of their music, joining the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.