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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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The White House’s official TikTok account has stunned both political watchers and pop fans after posting a new video set to Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia."
The clip, which can be viewed here at time of writing, was uploaded on November 3. It paired Swift’s vocals with a montage that includes images of the Trump administration, U.S. service members and even Donald Trump’s mugshot.
At one point, as Swift sings, "Don’t care where the hell you’ve been," the screen cut to Trump’s booking photo before transitioning a shot of the president kissing the American flag.
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The segment features the song’s post-chorus:
Keep it one hundred on the land (Land), the sea (Sea), the sky
Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes
Don’t care where the hell you’ve been (Been) ’cause now (Now) you’re mine
It’s ’bout to be the sleepless night you’ve been dreaming of
The Fate of Ophelia.
In closing, the video’s captions replaced the song’s closing line with "The Fate of America," alongside Trump’s image.
Newsweek reached out to Taylor Swift's representation and The White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The use of Swift's song in the TikTok video is unexpected, given the singer's relationship with Washington has long been charged. During the Trump administration, Swift broke her political silence in 2018, publicly endorsing Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee. Trump responded that he liked her music "about 25 percent less."
In 2019, Swift criticized the White House for refusing to back the Equality Act, calling on then-President Trump to support protections for LGBTQ+ Americans. While in 2020, she directly condemned Trump’s rhetoric following his "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" tweet, writing that he had "stoked the fires of white supremacy."
Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president in an Instagram post in September 2024. In it, she also criticized the use of AI-generated images showing her purportedly endorsing Trump’s campaign and urged her followers to research candidates.
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Online Reactions
The new TikTok has set off an online frenzy, with people from both sides of the political spectrum weighing in on the video that has more than 4.1 million views.
"Idk [I don't know] who is running this account but you got my vote for the next presidential election," said one commenter.
Another wrote: "MAGA Swiftie here. This is the best thing ever." A third commenter said: "OMG [oh my God] she must be livid at the use of this song and I’m here for it."
On the other side, people criticized the White House use of Swift’s music. "Taylor SUE THEM," posted one viewer, while another wrote: "Taylor would hate this."
"Taylor Swift lawsuit incoming.." commented a third viewer of the viral TikTok.
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