Overview
- The official White House TikTok posted on Feb. 10 set Kesha’s 2010 track “Blow” to footage of a fighter jet striking a ship with the caption “Lethality,” drawing millions of views and likes.
- Kesha denounced the use as “disgusting and inhumane,” said it “incite[s] violence,” called President Donald Trump a “criminal predator,” and told the account to “Stop using my music, perverts.”
- Communications director Steven Cheung mocked her objection on X, saying it drives “more attention and more view counts,” while deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr boasted that such reactions fuel the team.
- Coverage noted the clip’s resonance grew as U.S. military operations involving Iran intensified, making the video’s celebratory tone over violent imagery especially contentious.
- Reporters situated the dispute within a broader pattern of artists objecting to the administration’s social videos using their songs, with limited immediate recourse under platform licensing and no substantive White House response beyond social posts.