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Pop star Sabrina Carpenter and the publisher of Franklin the Turtle have both publicly condemned the Trump administration for unauthorized use of their intellectual property in promoting government actions.
Carpenter expressed outrage after discovering her hit song “Juno” was featured in a White House video montage showcasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The administration provocatively paired the footage with lyrics from her song, captioning the clip with “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.”
“This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter wrote Tuesday on social media, making her position unequivocally clear to her millions of followers.
The incident marks the second high-profile intellectual property dispute involving the administration this week. On Monday, children’s book publisher Kids Can Press issued a stern rebuke after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared a doctored image on X (formerly Twitter) depicting the beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle wielding a bazooka aimed at boats. Hegseth’s post was captioned “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”
“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the publisher stated, emphasizing how the manipulation of their gentle children’s character for military messaging violates the core principles of their brand.
The controversial posts appear linked to recent U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, where American forces have conducted strikes against vessels allegedly transporting narcotics. These operations have proven deadly, with reports indicating more than 80 people have been killed in such maritime interdiction efforts since early September.
The administration’s aggressive anti-drug trafficking campaign has raised questions about proportionality and legal jurisdiction in international waters, with human rights organizations expressing concern about the tactics employed.
The unauthorized use of intellectual property by the Trump administration follows an established pattern. Dozens of prominent musicians and artists have previously objected to their work being co-opted for political purposes without permission.
This growing list includes music industry titans across multiple genres and generations: rock legends Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, John Fogerty, Guns N’ Roses and R.E.M.; pop superstars ABBA, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Adele and Celine Dion; as well as artists like Phil Collins, Pharrell, Semisonic, Eddy Grant and Panic! at the Disco.
Industry experts note that political campaigns and administrations typically have limited legal recourse when artists object to such usage. While campaigns can purchase licenses from performing rights organizations for public events, these don’t necessarily override artists’ objections, particularly when the usage implies endorsement or fundamentally misrepresents the artist’s values.
The incidents highlight the tension between political messaging and artistic integrity, with creators increasingly willing to speak out when they feel their work is being misappropriated. Social media has amplified artists’ ability to quickly distance themselves from unauthorized political associations that might alienate their fans or contradict their personal values.
For the Trump administration, these public disavowals create additional communication challenges as officials attempt to leverage popular culture to connect with different demographic groups, only to face public rejection from the very creators whose work they’ve appropriated.
As the pattern continues, campaign strategists may need to reconsider their approach to using contemporary cultural references, particularly when the artists behind those works have explicitly requested their material not be associated with specific political agendas.
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10 Comments
The Trump team’s actions here are a shocking abuse of power and a blatant disregard for intellectual property rights. Hijacking popular works like Sabrina Carpenter’s music and the Franklin character for their own political ends is completely unacceptable.
I applaud Sabrina Carpenter and the Franklin publisher for standing up to the Trump team and forcefully condemning this egregious misuse of their intellectual property. Artists and creators deserve to have their rights respected, not exploited for political gain.
The Trump administration’s actions here are a shameful abuse of power and a blatant violation of intellectual property rights. Hijacking the work of Sabrina Carpenter, Franklin the Turtle, and others for their own political agenda is completely unacceptable.
I’m glad to see Sabrina Carpenter and the Franklin publisher taking a firm stance against the Trump administration’s misuse of their intellectual property. Artists and creators must be able to protect their work from political exploitation.
This is yet another example of the Trump team’s disregard for the law and ethical norms. Using copyrighted works without permission to promote their agenda is a serious offense that deserves strong condemnation from the public and legal authorities.
This is a disturbing case of the Trump administration inappropriately using copyrighted works without permission to push their political agenda. Misusing intellectual property in this way is unethical and disrespectful to the artists and creators involved.
The Trump team’s behavior here is extremely concerning. Pairing ICE footage with Sabrina Carpenter’s song lyrics and doctoring Franklin the Turtle images is a blatant attempt to misappropriate these works for their own nefarious purposes. Unacceptable.
I’m glad to see Sabrina Carpenter and the Franklin the Turtle publisher strongly condemn the Trump administration’s actions. Unauthorized use of creative works to further controversial policies is a serious violation of intellectual property rights.
Exactly. The administration should know better than to hijack popular media like this for political ends. It’s a shameful abuse of power.
This is just the latest example of the Trump administration’s disregard for intellectual property rights and willingness to trample on the work of artists and creators. Their use of Sabrina Carpenter’s music and the Franklin character is a new low.