Overview
- The White House posted a short TikTok that used Katy Perry’s “Firework” with footage of U.S. strikes and the caption “Iran has been warned,” a clip first shared earlier in the week and viewed millions of times.
- Katy Perry publicly condemned the initial use as “deeply appalled and angry,” saying she was not asked for permission and does not condone pairing her song with imagery of military strikes.
- The audio for the original video was later removed from the White House post, though reports say it is unclear whether Perry or another rights holder requested the removal.
- On Monday the White House posted a second video using Perry’s “Part of Me,” including clips from her military‑themed music video, and a White House aide reposted the clip on X while tagging Perry.
- Perry sold her early catalog to Litmus Music in 2023, which limits her legal control over licensing; the episode adds to a string of artists challenging the administration and raises questions about platform enforcement, licensing practices, and reputational risk for official social media messaging.