At first blush, Franklin the Turtle would seem to have little in common with Sabrina Carpenter, the pop star whose songs explore lust, power and deception. But the two share at least one bond: Neither wants to be featured in the Trump administration’s social media posts.
On Tuesday, Ms. Carpenter slammed the Trump administration for using her song “Juno” in a video posted on the White House’s official X account that mocked protesters opposed to President Trump’s immigration crackdown, and showed federal agents handcuffing, tackling and chasing people.
Ms. Carpenter replied to the post on X, writing: “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, responded to Ms. Carpenter in an email that referred to the title of her sixth full-length album, released last year.
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: We won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists and pedophiles from our country,” Ms. Jackson said. “Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?” (Ms. Carpenter’s song “Manchild” includes the lyrics, “Stupid. Or is it slow?”)
On Monday, the Toronto-based publisher of the Franklin the Turtle children’s book series condemned a meme posted by Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, that depicted an imaginary book in the series titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”
The book cover showed Franklin in a green helmet and vest emblazoned with American flags, firing a rocket launcher from a helicopter at an armed man in a boat loaded with drugs.
“For your Christmas wish list…” Mr. Hegseth captioned the post.
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” Franklin’s publisher, Kids Can Press, wrote on social media. “We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, defended the meme, which was a reference to a series of legally contested strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration says have been carrying drugs, although the administration has not provided specific evidence supporting those claims. The attacks have killed 83 people.
“We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels… or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists,” Mr. Parnell said in an email on Tuesday.
It was just the latest example of an artist, artist’s family or performer objecting to the Trump administration’s use of their work.
Rockwell and Kinkade paintings have been invoked.
Last month, Norman Rockwell’s family denounced the use of the artist’s works in social media posts by the Department of Homeland Security, which the family said had misrepresented his beliefs.
The posts paired some of Rockwell’s paintings with nationalistic slogans such as “Protect our American way of life” and “DEFEND your culture,” to promote the Trump administration’s anti-immigration efforts. In an opinion essay published in USA Today, Rockwell’s son and other descendants wrote that the paintings had been used without the family’s authorization and that the artist would be “devastated” to see his work “marshaled for the cause of persecution toward immigrant communities and people of color.”
In July, the family of Thomas Kinkade requested that the department take down a post featuring his painting “Morning Pledge,” which depicts the raising of a U.S. flag in a small town. The department had shared an image of the painting with the caption “Protect the Homeland.” The Kinkade Family Foundation said it had not authorized the use of the painting and was “deeply troubled to see this image used to promote division and xenophobia.”
Musicians like Rufus Wainwright and Celine Dion have distanced themselves.
Many famous musicians have also objected to to the use of their songs on the Trump administration’s social media accounts and at Trump campaign rallies.
Last year, Celine Dion spoke out after her hit “My Heart Will Go On,” from the movie “Titanic,” was played at a Trump rally in Montana. Ms. Dion wrote on social media that its use was unauthorized and that she did not endorse it, adding, “And really, THAT song?”
Rufus Wainwright, who recorded a well-known cover of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah,” spoke out after Mr. Trump played it at a rally last year. In a statement, Mr. Wainwright called the song “an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth” and added, “Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy.”
Video games and comedy have also been in the mix.
In October, one of the original art directors of the video game Halo called a post from Homeland Security featuring imagery and language from the game “absolutely abhorrent.” In September, the comedian Theo Von successfully called on the department to take down a post that included a video clip of him, arguing that “when it comes to immigration, my thoughts and heart are a lot more nuanced than this video allows.”
Michael Levenson covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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