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White House Uses Taylor Swift Song in TikTok, Says Media 'Got Played'

A viral clip pairing her lyrics with Trump and military imagery has raised questions about authorization.

Overview

  • The official White House TikTok posted Nov. 3 uses Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” over a 22‑second montage featuring U.S. military footage, President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and their spouses, plus Trump’s 2023 mugshot.
  • The video swaps the song’s closing line for on‑screen text reading “The Fate of America” above an image of Trump scooping McDonald’s fries, and carries the caption “OUR VIBES.”
  • A White House spokesperson told outlets including Variety that the post was crafted to bait coverage, saying, “Congrats, you got played.”
  • The clip has drawn millions of views on TikTok — more than 5 million and roughly 600,000 likes by Tuesday night — and prompted fans to urge Swift to pursue legal action.
  • Swift’s representatives have not commented, and reporting has flagged rights-of-use questions; a claim of a $200 million lawsuit surfaced in a single report and has not been corroborated elsewhere.