The White House doubled down on using Sabrina Carpenter-related material in their ICE deportation videos after the pop star slammed them for their “inhumane agenda” in response to the Trump administration using her song “Juno” in a social media video earlier this week. While that video has since been pulled from X (a version remains on TikTok as of press time), it has now been followed by another one.
On Friday, the White House posted a new video on social media, which opens with a clip of Carpenter in a manipulated commercial from her recent Saturday Night Live appearance. In the clip, she’s standing next to cast member Marcello Hernández. The audio has been altered, making it appear as if she’s calling Hernández “illegal” instead of “hot.”
In the original SNL commercial, Carpenter says, “I think I might need to arrest someone for being too hot.” Hernández then responds, “Oh well, I turn myself in” as he puts his hands out, looking ready to be cuffed, and she says, “You’re under arrest.” (During Carpenter’s recent tour, she would playfully “arrest” someone in the crowd with fuzzy pink handcuffs during her performances of “Juno.”)
In the manipulated White House clip that replaces Carpenter’s original voiced “hot” with someone’s voice saying “illegal,” it then cuts to allegedly undocumented immigrants being chased and arrested. The White House captioned the new video, “PSA: If you’re a criminal illegal, you WILL be arrested & deported.”
Carpenter has not yet responded publicly to the White House’s latest clip using her in a manipulated SNL commercial. A rep for Carpenter did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
The new video was posted after the first one using Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet song “Juno” was taken down from X. The initial one featured people ostensibly protesting against ICE raids, before it transitioned to a montage of agents appearing to chase down and detain allegedly undocumented immigrants.
Carpenter responded to the White House post that used “Juno” in a comment, writing, “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson responded to Carpenter’s objections, telling Rolling Stone in a statement, “Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: We won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”
In a similar video last month, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security posted a video showed ICE agents conducting raids and arrests, using Olivia Rodrigo’s song “All-American Bitch.” Rodrigo responded on Instagram, “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
