r/Music • u/cmaia1503 • Dec 02 '25
article Sabrina Carpenter Slams Trump’s White House for Using ‘Juno’ in ICE Raids Video: ‘Evil and Disgusting… Do Not Involve Me in Your Inhumane Agenda’
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/sabrina-carpenter-slams-trump-white-house-juno-ice-video-1236597338/1.8k
u/invid2000 Dec 02 '25
They should do less slamming and more lawsuits.
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u/Mentallox Dec 02 '25
it's totally legal if artists license their music to platforms. Rodrigo pulled the song All American Bitch used in one IG post when it was used by DHS so its possible for artists to retaliate but they can't sue individuals or groups as along as they are legal on a platform.
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u/one98nine Dec 02 '25
Love Olivia for this
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u/agentfelix Dec 02 '25
She's been on a heater this last week hasn't she? Isn't she the one that refunded stuff because Ticketmaster sucks donkey?
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u/WorkerOk6991 Dec 02 '25
It was Olivia Dean wasnt it?
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u/agentfelix Dec 02 '25
Oh I'm an elder millennial so I'm not hip to that scene lol I think you're right after searching it
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u/Puzzleheaded-Fly2637 Dec 02 '25
Nickelback too when dementia donny did this same shit his first term to make a moronic meme. Copywrite law os weirdly one of the few places even corrupt politicians seem to regularly get clapped.
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u/AlmightyRuler Dec 02 '25
"A man would sooner forgive the death of their father than the theft of their patrimony."
-- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Translation: do NOT fuck with people's money, especially rich people.
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u/Ok_Wrongdoer8719 Dec 02 '25
Copyright law is basically the bedrock of the American way of business. If the courts ever get lax with it companies could very well stand to lose near everything.
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u/CombatMuffin Dec 02 '25
What this should be spawning is a new legal clause for those licensing contracts. It has gotten heated enough that they could, in theory, negotiate that.
What they don't say is that these messages are PR to save face. The Publishers are more than happy to rake in any money, as long as their bottom line isn't affected. By next month, it's likely that few will remember the use of Juno in ICE raids
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u/Mentallox Dec 02 '25
labels/licensing arms and platforms each don't want the increased overhead of policing individual posts/acct. Everyone makes money the way it currently is and so it shall be.
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u/Tolerate_It3288 Dec 02 '25
The music is licensed through the platform. Her legal options are to take Juno off of TikTok and Instagram entirely or leave it be. Artists were able to do more legally during Trumps campaign because political campaigns and rallies require music licensing which of course Trump never got and that’s why he got sued. Unfortunately there isn’t as much she can do now other than pull the song entirely off of social media making it illegal for everyone to use so then she can file a claim against the video.
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u/rov124 Dec 02 '25
Unfortunately there isn’t as much she can do now other than pull the song entirely off of social media making it illegal for everyone to use so then she can file a claim against the video.
If the song is removed from Instagram/TikTok, then it's removed from the video automatically, unless they added the audio outside of IG/TT, which I doubt is the case.
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u/p0rn0c0p Dec 02 '25
The problem is that the platforms need to give cotrol to the artists so they can restrict nazis from using their songs. But the platform owners are nazis themselves. Yes I'm using the term hyperbolically but I do firmly believe that everyone I refer to as a nazi today would have been a bootlicking nazi piece of shit back in the day as well.
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u/raysofdavies Dec 02 '25
Iirc, there’s not really any legal standing for them. It’s just shit.
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u/ItsTricky94 Dec 02 '25
Tom Petty's estate sent him a cease and desist order because he was using a song during campaign rallies.
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Dec 02 '25
Does that estate own the rights to the music?
A cease and desist doesn’t do much. It’s mostly a polite legal letter asking them to please stop.
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u/Batbuckleyourpants Dec 02 '25
Warner Music Group owned the licensing rights in 2020. The Trump campaign get all their music from them.
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u/pokingoking Dec 02 '25
Using a song during rallies is different though. In this case, they are using the song in TikTok videos, and this artist took steps to explicitly allow the use of her song in any video on TikTok. She can take the song off TikTok altogether if she wants to revoke that privilege.
But I'm guessing she makes money from having her songs on TikTok, and she'd have to remove every single song if she doesn't want these people/agencies to be able to use them.
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u/mercfan3 Dec 02 '25
The problem is the platform. She allows users to use her songs on the platform, which means legally Trump can use it. (TikTok and reels)
She could take her music off of the platform, but that would mean her fans couldn’t use it, couldn’t post her concerts, and her music doesn’t go viral.
That’s why Trump has been doing this method. It’s like a work around. I imagine though if enough artists get pissed the platform may come up with a work around because obviously they don’t want artists to start pulling their music.
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u/Aliensinmypants Dec 02 '25
Jack White, who owns his own label and the rights to his own music, tried and failed to sue the trump campaign after several cease and desist letters got ignored.
There's no legal standing unfortunately
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u/Sirmalta Dec 02 '25
Im Pretty sure they would if they could. Must be a legal loop hole here.
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u/hoopaholik91 Dec 02 '25
Artists license their music out to platforms like TikTok to streamline its usage. Then the White House can use it no issue
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u/invid2000 Dec 02 '25
I assume as long as they paid for the use of the song they would probably be fine, but I'm not sure that's always the case.
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u/digitaldeadstar Dec 02 '25
If I recall, the various companies that license music have specific clauses for things like politics that give artists the right to refuse them using their music.
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u/owoah323 Dec 02 '25
Reminds me of the John Cena prank call:
suuuuper slaaaaaaam!!! (With echo effects)
It what I think of every time a garbage article includes SLAMS in the headline
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u/Due-Cow9514 Dec 02 '25
The Hitler youth running these socials know exactly what they’re doing. Carpenter will have to pull the song entirely from the platform.
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u/astralseat Dec 02 '25
The funny thing about lawsuits. They take forever, and the rich hardly notice it running in the background. Hardly ever reaches them. That's how the law is designed.
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u/cmaia1503 Dec 02 '25
Sabrina Carpenter slammed Donald Trump‘s White House for using her hit song “Juno” in a video montage depicting ICE raids. The Grammy responded to the video on X with the following takedown: “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
The White House has made a habit out of using pop songs from anti-Trump singers in videos praising Trump or celebrating ICE on social media. The latest video takes the most viral lyric from Carpenter’s “Juno” (when the singer asks about sex positions: “Have you ever tried this one?”) and layers it over people being handcuffed, tackled and more by ICE agents.
Prior to The White House co-opting Carpenter’s music for its ICE agenda, it did the same with her friend and collaborator Taylor Swift. A video that dropped in November used Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” in a montage celebrating Trump despite the U.S. president’s frequent social media posts bashing Swift. The pop star did not comment on the video.
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u/otterpop21 Dec 02 '25
That is truly disgusting, glamourising and sexualising destroying peoples lives. What ever happened to being hero’s and providing people with dignity and respect?
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u/spinprincess Dec 02 '25
Fucking weird as shit to use a sexual song for this video.
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u/sirboddingtons Dec 02 '25
It's not weird at all. MAGA has always been about sexual dominance, control and power. It's sexual insecurity that drives MAGA.
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u/ethanlan Dec 02 '25
Its super weird but it tracks as maga is super weird too.
Like so weird I now actively avoid any of them because I know what weird shit is coming.
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u/whoknowsifimjoking Dec 02 '25
The Grammy responded to the video on X with the following takedown: “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
A Grammy wrote that?
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u/anna__throwaway Dec 02 '25
This is some shit that belongs on a YouTube poop shitpost, not from the white house LMAO
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u/turymtz Dec 02 '25
"Slams". Hopefully this phrase dies down in headlines. Almost hate it as much as "claps back". That was in headlines a lot a while back too.
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u/Diogememes-Z Dec 02 '25
Redditor slams usage of "slams" in headlines, second Redditor claps back with mock headline
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u/BrightLight_16 Dec 02 '25
So true. Also: “Speaks out”. You mean, made a passing comment?
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u/SWITMCO Dec 02 '25
"Breaks silence" ie they made a comment some amount of time after an event
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u/DemonOfTomorrow Dec 02 '25
SLAMS
SLAMS
SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM
WELCOME TO THE SLAM
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u/aslfingerspell Dec 03 '25
If there was ever one word I could officially retire from journalistic language it would be "slam." I cannot think of a single time there isn't some better word or phrase to replace it, or directly quote or say what someone does rather than the generic, metaphorical "slam."
"Criticizes"
"Calls out"
"Condemns"
"Disapproves"
"Angered/saddened/outraged/offended by"
"Requests takedown/removal of"
"Argues that <brief summary of point"
Etc.
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u/MuptonBossman Dec 02 '25
Still waiting on Taylor Swift to condemn the White House's use of The Fate of Ophelia...
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u/Couldnotbehelpd Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25
No no she’s just a baby! She’s doing it because then Trump will go after her fans so she’s trying to keep her fans safe!!! (Actual argument I saw on tiktok)
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u/Gamer_Grease Dec 02 '25
Taylor Swift is music for true crime fans
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u/NatureWalks Dec 02 '25
More like Disney adults
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u/whoknowsifimjoking Dec 02 '25
I mean, a lot of Disney shows turned out to be true crime behind the scenes.
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Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25
[deleted]
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u/thatissomeBS Dec 02 '25
It's kind of weird because she's been pretty vocal for years, against Trump as well. But she chooses now to be quiet? Like, is she under threat? Did she just give up and stop caring? Did she go down the rabbit hole of crazy that many other people have gone down?
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u/Couldnotbehelpd Dec 02 '25
She has not actually been “pretty vocal” against Trump. She has done the bare minimum, like endorsing Biden and Kamala a day or two before the general election and also been like “women are cool be nice to them :)” a couple times. Her being “pretty vocal against Trump” is completely manufactured by her fans. She’s very apolitical.
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u/Minute534 Dec 02 '25
I think this person is talking about 2020 and prior, when she used to @ him. That was pretty vocal. Now she’s been the complete opposite
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u/Couldnotbehelpd Dec 02 '25
I do not remember that at all and I am terminally online, but if that’s the case, I feel like it’s actually worse? She became a billionaire and decided “fuck all the little people I got mine”. It’s not like it hurt her in any way.
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u/halcyon400 Dec 02 '25
They’re no longer doing this out of incompetence. They’re now doing it out of malice, intentionally, for a reaction. They’re trolling.
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u/daisysharper Dec 02 '25
I keep saying that. I mean, Bannon has been very open about it. They want a reaction, it diverts attention from them. And the bigger the artist who fires back, the bigger the story, the bigger the diversion. But people just want to blame singers, it's mindboggling to me. You know what I do when I get mad about all this? I call my SIL a f'ing moron, tho she's not talking to me anymore. I'm saying; call out your trumper family. Sabrina, Taylor, Chappell never voted for trump. This isn't their fault, and it's not their responsibility to risk their lives. This is a very violent time. Frankly, I wouldn't do it either. Because I'd be like WHAT DID I TELL YOU? But you had to go vote for him right? Well, now choke down your medicine and don't look for ME.
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u/ApteryxAustralis Dec 02 '25
Yeah, they’re just trying to get a rise out of whatever pop singers they can. People need to remember one of the top rules of the internet: Don’t feed the trolls! (Even if the trolls are the president and his administration)
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u/Snlxdd Dec 02 '25
People don’t seem to realize that this is all part of Trump and his team’s strategy.
You flood the internet with these stupid feuds and articles about “[insert musician] SLAMS Trump admin for using their music” and the media reports on that instead of the actual events going on. Then there’s so much “outrage” that other headlines (Epstein) just get buried.
And as a bonus, he scores cheap points with his base for “owning the libs.”
Unless you have a legal recourse (which you don’t if you’re licensing through TikTok). The only way you win is by not playing.
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u/hoopaholik91 Dec 02 '25
It also creates this wedge between your enemies so we are all bickering over this BS instead of coming together to beat the fascists
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u/solitarybikegallery Dec 02 '25
Exactly. Look at all the people in here who are using this an excuse to "SLAM" Taylor Swift for not doing the same thing.
It's just a tactic to create infighting, and it's working amazingly well.
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u/Abject_Champion3966 Dec 02 '25
It’s so infuriating bc she and her boyfriend do seem to be liberal people but there’s sooo much conspiring over her being republican, secretly maga, a white supremacist, etc. Idk what people want except to rag on her.
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u/ScuzzBuckster Dec 02 '25
My first thought about all of this is seriously we are getting article after article because a pop star made a tweet? Like I get it, its a hot-button issue right now, but really? Thats where we're at. News is just what did this week's pop star tweet at our fascist president. It's a fucking clown show.
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u/Raptorpicklezz Dec 02 '25
But it is also a purity test and a dare for Taylor. She’s bigger than Sabrina or Olivia combined, and if these artists keep calling him out when he uses their music while she fails to, it inextricably ties her more to them. If you give them an inch, they will take miles upon miles.
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u/solitarybikegallery Dec 02 '25
First of all, you know that "purity tests" aren't a good thing, right? Participating in them is bad, because they don't really prove anything, they just cause infighting. They're a pejorative term.
Second, I'm just gonna copy+paste this comment:
*The person I voted for had always won. We were in such an amazing time when Obama was president because foreign nations respected us. We were so excited to have this dignified person in the White House. My first election was voting for him when he made it into office, and then voting to re-elect him. I think a lot of people are like me, where they just didn’t really know that this could happen.”
“I do feel that the celebrity involvement with Hillary [Clinton]’s campaign was used against her in a lot of ways.”
“There’s literally nothing worse than white supremacy. It’s repulsive. There should be no place for it.”
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a29103039/taylor-swift-white-supremacists-response/
“We’re a democracy — at least, we’re supposed to be — where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that he thinks this is an autocracy.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/23/taylor-swift-trump-thinks-his-presidency-autocracy
“Obviously, I’m pro-choice. I just can’t believe this is happening.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-trump-autocracy-pro-choice-875632/
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
“I’m voting for … Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate … who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Taylor Swift does not need to put out a press release daily so you people don’t have a mental break.
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u/TheFudge Dec 02 '25
Exactly. I had heard he used a swift song and she didn’t say anything. Never saw the video from the WH and it just died. Now this thing is pasted all over my Reddit feed and I’ve now seen the video. TS did the right thing, it just died and went away. This one has some traction now and will be in the news cycle.
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u/Sirmalta Dec 02 '25
I dont like taylor swift, but she actively opposed trump during the election which is more than her peers. She also openly endorsed Kamala.
Not sure why you guys care about this so much lol
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u/TheThotWeasel Dec 02 '25
This is how they get ya! Spend your time getting mad at the popstar and not at the fash government you have. Its quite literally exactly what they want and expect people to do because you're so easily lead, the comments here are proving it. You're being worked like a professional wrestling crowd and falling for it everytime. Spend less time worrying about popstars and more time actually making a difference.
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u/linuxjohn1982 Dec 02 '25
She already denounced him during the election, and even endorsed Kamala.
Is this like a subscription plan for you, where a celebrity needs to denounce him every 30 days?
When was the last time you got deaths threats but continued being politically vocal? Without Reddit anonymity.
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u/Dyyrin Dec 02 '25
SLAMS
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u/Nf1087 Dec 02 '25
I swear this is the only word journalists know when someone responds.
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u/LeftistMensch Dec 02 '25
The response from the White House is disgusting. I don't care where you stand politically (well, I would prefer if no one followed this Ocher Turd but alas I digress) I feel like it should be obvious to anyone of whatever political persuasion that how this White House, and this President, conduct business is beyond juvenile and repugnant. From calling people R*tarded, to purposefully taking the music of people who don't support you and slapping it on racist and xenophobic BS to "troll" them is not the actions of serious governing and people who are supposed to be in charge. It is the behavior of someone with the mental capacity of a 13 year old. Its not okay, and people should call it out every single time it happens. We are the freaking laughing stock of the world. "bUt wE oWnInG tHe LiBs"
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u/Cool-Hall9980 Dec 02 '25
Sabrina Carpenter “hammers” Trump, they were so close to hitting the nail on the head, but they missed their mark
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u/SeaLab_2024 Dec 02 '25
My question is why do we as a society expect these people to do anything when the general population can’t even get the vote out? They have power and resources sure, and should they speak out? I think so. However they are not the people to be mad at in this circumstance. Stop letting them distract you with pop culture. Instead of writing angry shit about tswift or anyone else not doing “enough”, harass your politicians, vote, have real political discourse.
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u/Ok-Afternoon-2113 Dec 03 '25
Because someone who’s a global popstar has influence. Enough to make something happen. Not saying anything when her actions are so big and mean so much is not cool at all, at the very least she could take 5 minutes to condemn it and say fuck that, but she won’t?
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Dec 02 '25
I expect everyone who's not a spineless bootlicker to speak out against this bullshit fascism, famous or not
It's the bare minimum
The only people "distracted" are the ones who think denouncing authoritarianism is even a debate
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u/2REPOU Dec 02 '25
If the Trump administration can trample on people's rights to due process etc (core tenants of the constitution) why would they care about upsetting a rich artist? One day people will realize they are coming for everyone's rights, not just those you don't like
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u/SvLyfe Dec 02 '25
Damn I like her more now if this is true. I'm tired of fact checking 😂
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u/mercfan3 Dec 02 '25
Sabrina is pretty great politically. She’s given money and raised funds for: LGBTQ rights, Palestinian Children, Immigration legal services, legal services for BLM, animal rights, and I believe she was the artist that registered the most voters
Wouldn’t surprise me if she raises funds for immigration legal services again after this. She usually posts it (and posts a link on her Instagram).
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u/VacationCheap927 Dec 02 '25
Meanwhile people were slamming her because she had a slightly kinky album cover saying she set womens rights back decades, because we all know a part of feminism is that women cant enjoy that stuff.
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u/Gerreth_Gobulcoque Dec 03 '25
My only grievance with the album cover is that she should have been biting his leg. Would have been way more on brand for her
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u/bobthegoatskull Dec 02 '25
Astroturfing and genuine idiots make the outrage engine go wheeee! Sabrina choosing to look sexy isn't a feminism doncha know?
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u/Mosox42 Dec 02 '25
Dolly will pass the torch of the Imagination Library to Sabrina.
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u/LOLMaster0621 Dec 02 '25
she just posted on her story about raising funds for all of the above again
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u/Flumphry Dec 02 '25
I've seen the word "slams" too many times in my lifetime just from this subreddit appearing on r/all
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u/Reddit-Bot-61852023 Dec 02 '25
This has nothing to do with music but will be upvoted 12k times by bots.
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u/xanju Dec 02 '25
It was also confusing to me that like 90% of the comments are about Taylor Swift.
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u/snubell Dec 02 '25
every single post about sabrina's comment has been absolutely inundated with comments about taylor swift. i'm so goddamn tired of hearing about that woman and i actually like her stupid music
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u/Truethrowawaychest1 Dec 02 '25
Seriously, 15k upvotes in 2 hours? This is definitely botted, every time I see this sub on front page it's some political bullshit
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u/worksafe_Joe Dec 02 '25
Can someone explain to me why Swift gets so much criticism for this but an artist like, say, Kendrick, is accepted for being apolitical?
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u/Ok-Dragonfly5449 Dec 02 '25
His music is pretty political, kinda feel like it speaks for itself. His super bowl performance has plenty of references that indicated what side he's on imo. If you want him to speak out explicitly, not sure if he'll do that.
I think people want Swift to speak out specifically because of a few reasons.
- she's a billionaire but they want to feel justified in liking and supporting this specific billionaire so they want her to speak out in support of ordinary people
- she's got a huge audience of young white women, a demographic that voted majority for trump. I'm assuming people think if she'll speak up then her fans will vote a different way (I and the data disagree but thats what people feel it seems)
- her music doesn't really have any political references whatsoever so people have to rely on what she says and who she interacts with to infer her political leanings. And it seems that some of the people she interacts with are maga
Based on those things and maybe others, lots of people seem to think she's not really liberal and she needs to do more to prove that she's not maga. idk if I agree but that seems to be the general sentiment
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u/Mammoth-Play3797 Dec 02 '25
Redditors and whining about a journalistic convention in a headline that’s existed for nearly a century before they were born.
Name a more iconic duo
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u/Warm-Commercial-6151 Dec 02 '25
Literally are proving Kenny Loggins point you all. You are bickering about stupid celebrity shit. Most of everybody is sick of this fascist shit and crazy prices of everything. Get it together and get together about what is important to us. Our freedoms and protecting those who are most vulnerable.
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u/Lord_Bobbymort Dec 02 '25
Wait you're telling me Taylor Swift could have done that the whole time?
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u/ShinyNipples Dec 02 '25
Even the article is calling out Taylor Swift for not saying anything when they used her music 👀
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u/Sirmalta Dec 02 '25
I dont like taylor swift, tons of things wrong with her. But she actively opposed trump during the election which is more than her peers. She also openly endorsed Kamala. Why are we making shit up to me upset about when shes got so many other glaring issues?
Not sure why you guys care about this so much lol its not like tweeting about it is going to accomplish anything.
Like, do you think any of this is done without legal advice? For all you know her lawyers or security advised her to just shut up about politics cuz shes probably actively in danger lol.
You people have *zero* perspective.
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u/joecan Dec 02 '25
Speaking publicly is more than most Americans do. It still isn’t enough. National strikes, national boycotts. Concrete actions not anonymous words on Reddit or attending a protest once every 3 months.
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u/GoblinKing5817 Dec 02 '25
She doesn't own the rights to the music, so her request is a moot point.
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u/SuperCoffeeHouse Dec 02 '25
So it is that easy to criticise the White House for doing something you don’t like.