Noah Kahan responded to a social media post from Donald Trump that contained the song “American Cars,” writing, “Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration.” Kahan’s co-writer, Noah Lavine, also commented on the post, adding, “You fat fuck this song isn’t for you.”
The White House shared the original post on Instagram and TikTok, and it featured President Trump touring a General Motors plant in Michigan. Kahan’s fans made sure that the post went viral, commenting over and over again, and tagging Kahan until the singer-songwriter finally responded — which is silly, but ultimately not that big of a deal.
Reaction from the Music Industry
Because while this is a tried-and-true method for the White House social media team to score engagement, elections aren’t won on online engagement and besides, it’s not like these methods are doing anything to dig Trump’s approval numbers out of the toilet. Some White House social media edgelord who probably goes by BigBalls88 gets to brag about owning the libs, Kahan’s fans exercised their free speech rights to demand that their idol disavow a social media post, and Kahan answered the summons. The story tells you more about the state of social media than our laws or politics, and if there is some reckoning of the many crimes committed during the Trump regime, the music copyright violations will be deservedly low on the list.
Other megastars have responded in their own ways: Sabrina Carpenter did not mince words in her response, while JAY-Z, MGMT, and The Cure have all taken the legal route of the DMCA takedown.
Noah Kahan’s Current Tour
Kahan is currently touring his new album The Great Divide, and tickets are available here.
In conclusion, the incident highlights the ongoing issue of music copyright violations in politics, with Noah Kahan being the latest artist to speak out against the use of his music in support of Donald Trump. As the music industry continues to navigate the complex world of social media and politics, it will be interesting to see how artists and politicians interact in the future.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
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