White House fires back after Noah Kahan says he’d ‘never approve’ Trump administration using his music

Shania RussellWed, July 29, 2026 at 8:01 PM UTC

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Noah Kahan and Donald TrumpCredit: Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty; Andrew Harnik/GettyKey Points -

Noah Kahan is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s use of his song.

The White House recently used Kahan’s track “American Cars” to promote Trump’s visit to a General Motors facility.

After pushback from fans, Kahan insisted that he would “never approve” of the administration using his music.

Noah Kahan is joining the growing list of musicians who don’t want to be associated with the Trump administration.

On Monday, President Donald Trump and the official White House social media account marked his recent visit to the General Motors facility in Michigan by sharing a carousel of photos and video, one of which featured Kahan’s song, “American Cars.”

“Nothing like American cars,” the White House captioned a TikTok video of Trump signing a Corvette at the facility.

After several fans called attention to the use of Kahan’s song to promote Trump’s Michigan visit, the folk singer was quick to pump the brakes on the song choice.

“Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration,” the singer commented beneath Trump’s post.

Noah Kahan onstageCredit: Sacha Lecca/Rolling Stone via Getty

Noah Levine, Kahan’s guitarist and co-writer on the track, weighed in as well, writing, “You fat f---, this song isn’t for you.”

Their posts clearly caught the attention of the Trump administration with Kaelan Dorr, deputy assistant to the President and White House deputy communications director, writing on X, “Symptoms of [Trump derangement syndrome] apparently include having a northern attitude,” a reference to another of Kahan’s songs.

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American Cars has since been removed from Trump’s Instagram post, though the TikTok post remains live as of publication.

The White House declined to comment further when reached by Entertainment Weekly for comment.

With their posts, Kahan and Levine join a long list of music artists who have publicly condemned the Trump administration for using their music without approval. Most recently, Katy Perryhit back at the White House for similarly featuring her 2010 song “Firework” in a social media video depicting military strikes in Iran.

Donald Trump in 2026Credit: Brendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty

“I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it,” Perry later wrote in a social media post. “I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for.”

She concluded, “My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”

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Aside from Kahan and Perry, artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Queen, Nickelback, Rihanna, R.E.M., Steven Tyler, Neil Young and many more have called for Trump to stop using their songs at rallies, events, and in social media posts.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”