Ariana Grande is the latest pop star to provoke a response from Donald Trump’s White House. On Sunday, the singer and actress reshared a post on her Instagram story questioning whether Trump supporters’ lives had actually improved since his return to office, and highlighting the impact of ICE raids, anti-trans rhetoric, and threats to free speech.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai responded with a statement peppered with Grande’s song titles (“Save Your Tears,” “Just Like Magic” and “Get Well Soon”): “Save your tears, Ariana. President Trump’s actions ended Joe Biden’s inflation crisis and are bringing in trillions in new investments. He even signed an executive order just like magic that paved the way for the FTC to crack down on Ticketmaster for ripping off Ariana Grande’s concert-going fans. Get well soon, Ariana!” The statement references the FTC’s recent lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which alleges the companies colluded with ticket brokers to circumvent purchase limits, letting scalpers resell tickets at inflated prices for major events, including Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Grande publicly supported Kamala Harris in 2024 and Bernie Sanders in 2020, and previously performed at the White House during the 2014 “Women of Soul” event for President Obama. She joins a roster of celebrities targeted by Trump in 2025: in February, he celebrated online as Taylor Swift was booed at the Super Bowl, and in July, he called for the prosecution of Beyoncé, for supposedly receiving $11 million to endorse Kamala Harris during an October 2024 campaign event. (There is no basis for this claim.) And earlier this month, Trump doubled down on his feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell and seemingly threatened to sue ABC over its decision to bring back Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show.
