‘Would never approve’: Noah Kahan fires back at White House for using his song ‘American Cars’ on Trump’s post about General Motors’ test site visit

Noah Kahan is the latest musician to publicly challenge the White House after his song American Cars appeared in a post featuring President Donald Trump, Variety reported. The controversy began on Monday when an Instagram post showcased the President visiting the flagship test site for General Motors in Michigan. Fans quickly took notice and tagged the artist, leading to a direct response from Kahan on Tuesday afternoon.

Kahan made his stance clear by stating, “Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration.” It is a move that highlights the ongoing tension between high-profile artists and the current administration regarding the use of copyrighted music on social media platforms. The song was featured on both Instagram and TikTok, though the audio appears to have been disabled on the Instagram post. The track remains active on the TikTok version of the video.

The song co-writer, Noah Levine, offered a much more aggressive reaction to the situation. He commented on the Instagram post by writing, “You fat f— this song isn’t for you.” This follows a pattern of artists taking issue with their work being tied to political messaging without their consent.

Kahan and Levine are now part of a long list of musicians who have publicly aired their grievances over similar incidents

Katy Perry recently voiced her frustration after her 2010 song Firework was used in a TikTok post showing footage of military strikes. She took to X to share her disapproval and noted, “I am deeply appalled and angry to see ‘Firework’ used on the @WhiteHouse TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes,” adding, “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it.”

This issue is not new for the current administration, as several other major names in the music industry have previously pushed back against the unauthorized use of their catalogs. In June, Ariana Grande expressed similar feelings when a version of her 2024 song Bye was used in a TikTok video showing ICE agents making arrests.

Other artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion, Neil Young, and the Rolling Stones have also spent time criticizing the President for using their music in his social media posts.

Representatives for Kahan and the White House have not yet responded to requests for comment.