Ariana Grande has never shied away from speaking her mind, and this week her words reached all the way to the White House. After the pop superstar criticized the Trump administration’s record on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights, White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai issued a direct statement addressed to her.
On Sunday night, Ariana reshared an Instagram post originally written by activist Matt Bernstein. The message criticized Trump-era ICE raids, anti-trans rhetoric, and threats to free speech. It ended with a pointed question aimed at Trump supporters: “It’s been 250 days. Now that immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed, now that trans people have been blamed for virtually everything and live in fear, now that free speech is on the brink of collapse for us all — has your life gotten better?”
Grande’s repost went viral, prompting a rare White House clap-back that used her own music against her. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Desai responded with pointed references to Ariana’s hits. “Save your tears, Ariana. Because President Trump’s actions ended Joe Biden’s inflation crisis and are bringing in trillions in new investment,” he wrote. “He even signed an executive order just like magic that paved the way for the FTC to crack down on Ticketmaster for ripping off Ariana Grande’s concert-going fans. Get well soon, Ariana!”
The mention of Ticketmaster wasn’t random. The Federal Trade Commission recently filed suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, accusing them of misleading consumers about ticket pricing. Just weeks earlier, the FTC also went after a ticket resale group accused of using illegal methods to scoop up tickets for blockbuster concerts like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—and reselling them at sky-high prices.
Ariana, who has been outspoken about her support for Democrats, backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. She’s also no stranger to the political spotlight. Back in 2014, she performed at the White House for then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during the “Women of Soul” concert event.
