Kesha’s White House Clash Reveals New Stakes Over Music Use
Pop star kesha demanded that the White House stop using her music after officials posted a Feb. 10 TikTok labeled “Lethality” that used her track “Blow” under footage of a jet launching a missile and striking an enemy ship. White House communications staff then mocked her on X, a response that the administration said only boosted view counts for its videos.
White House Mocking Kesha
Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr posted on X that “Kesha quotes are like Popeye’s spinach to this team, ” while White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote that the attention from singers’ complaints “gives us more attention and more view counts” for administration videos. The communications staff framed public pushback as a promotional benefit rather than a reputational risk. The pattern suggests the team views celebrity complaints as a way to amplify content, not as a reason to remove it.
TikTok ‘Lethality’ Video
The contested clip, posted on Feb. 10, paired a label reading “Lethality” with what appeared to be military footage of a missile launch and strike, set to Kesha’s song “Blow. ” Kesha wrote that the White House use of the track was meant to “incite violence and threaten war” and said she “absolutely” did not approve of her music being used to “promote violence of any kind. ” The specifics of the clip and her response explain why kesha characterized the post as crossing a moral line rather than a trivial reuse of music.
Kesha’s International Women’s Day
Separately, kesha marked International Women’s Day on Instagram with a carousel of photos that included a sheer black corset top with floral lace, loose black pants, black sunglasses, and a large faux-fur coat worn over the shoulders. Her caption read, “My god, wouldn’t it be terrible to be a man. #IWD2026, ” and fans replied with praise such as “Mother!!” and “Our warrior. ” The fashion-focused post shows how kesha blends bold visual statements and pointed commentary on the same social platforms where she contests political uses of her work.
Broader Political Echoes
Kesha later criticized President Donald Trump and referenced materials tied to Jeffrey Epstein, while public court filings released in January showed Mr. Trump’s name appearing roughly 38, 000 times in the documents. Linking the music dispute to criticism of the president and to voluminous court filings raised the political profile of what began as a copyright and messaging complaint. The figures and references point to why the exchange moved beyond a routine rights dispute into a more overtly political confrontation.
For now, the context leaves open whether the White House will stop using kesha’s music in its TikTok posts or alter its communications approach in response to her objections; that specific decision remains unconfirmed.
