White House Trolls Sabrina Carpenter With Second Pro-ICE Video
The controversy surrounding the White House’s use of Sabrina Carpenter’s music in a post promoting ICE’s migrant arrests continues to escalate. After the initial post featuring Carpenter’s song “Juno” was deleted, the administration retaliated by altering a clip of Carpenter’s “Saturday Night Live” commercial to make it appear as though she was calling cast member Marcello Hernández “illegal” instead of “hot.”
In the original commercial, Carpenter jokingly mentioned arresting someone for being too hot, with Hernández playfully offering to turn himself in. However, the edited clip now features a voiceover that changes Carpenter’s dialogue to “…too illegal,” insinuating that Hernández, a Latino cast member, is being arrested. The altered video was accompanied by a caption stating, “PSA: If you’re a criminal illegal, you WILL be arrested & deported,” followed by footage of immigrants being apprehended.
Carpenter’s team has not yet responded to the latest incident. Previously, Carpenter denounced the use of her music in the White House’s videos, calling it “evil and disgusting” and distancing herself from the administration’s agenda. The original video featuring the “Juno” soundtrack showcased migrants being pursued and detained, prompting Carpenter to express her disapproval.
In response to Carpenter’s objection, the White House mocked her by using her lyrics against her in a statement, defending their actions of deporting criminals. This tactic of twisting pop stars’ messages to align with pro-ICE or pro-Trump narratives has been observed in previous instances, such as using Taylor Swift’s song “The Fate of Ophelia” in a video glorifying President Trump.
The White House’s social media team seems to take pleasure in taunting celebrities and their fans by repurposing their music for controversial posts. Despite the backlash, some of these videos remain online, showcasing the administration’s unapologetic stance on immigration enforcement.
