The White House fired back at folk-pop singer Noah Kahan with a pointed "Trump Derangement Syndrome" jab after he publicly objected to his hit song being used in an Instagram post celebrating American manufacturing.
The dispute started earlier this week when the official White House and POTUS Instagram accounts posted a joint video of President Trump touring a General Motors test facility in Michigan. The clip featured Kahan's song "American Cars" as the soundtrack, with the caption "Made in America is BACK." Social media users quickly tagged Kahan, and the Grammy-nominated singer responded directly in the post's comment section on Tuesday.
Fox News Digital reported that Kahan wrote:
"Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration."
A co-writer on the track, identified only as "Levine," went further. Variety reported that Levine posted a profanity-laced response on Instagram directed at the administration: "You fat f----, this song isn't for you."
By Thursday, the White House had its answer ready. Kaelan Dorr of the White House Office of Digital Strategy posted on X:
"Symptoms of TDS apparently include having a northern attitude."
The line was a two-for-one, a reference to "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and a nod to Kahan's own hit "Northern Attitude," which has racked up more than 700 million streams. The Hollywood Reporter first reported Dorr's response.
Following the back-and-forth, Instagram listed the audio on the White House post as "unavailable." The video itself remained live. Whether Instagram acted on its own or in response to a rights complaint from Kahan's team was not clear from available reporting.
The post had already made its rounds. Breitbart reported that the White House had also posted the clip on TikTok, broadening the video's reach before the sound was disabled on Instagram.
Kahan, best known for his album "Stick Season," has largely stayed out of national political fights. He founded the Busyhead Project, a nonprofit mental health organization that aims to end stigma around mental health and improve access to resources. Vermont's Republican governor, Phil Scott, declared September 19 "Noah Kahan's Busyhead Project Day", a recognition that came through the governor's office, not through partisan activism.
None of that insulated him from the blowback once he stepped into the arena.
The Kahan episode is the latest in a pattern that now stretches back months. In November 2025, singer Olivia Rodrigo lashed out at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security after her music was used in a social media post encouraging illegal immigrants to self-deport. Rodrigo posted on Instagram:
"Don't ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda."
DHS did not back down. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe," and added a pointed suggestion: "We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice."
Katy Perry also objected after the White House used her song "Firework" as the soundtrack for footage of military strikes on Iran posted to the official TikTok account. Perry said she was "deeply appalled and angry" and that she "did not approve this." Other artists, including Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Celine Dion, and Beyoncé, have appeared on a growing list of musicians who have raised objections to the administration's use of their music, though individual details of each dispute were not specified.
Each time a musician has protested, the White House response has followed the same playbook: don't apologize, don't explain, and punch back with a quip. Dorr's "TDS" post on X fit that mold precisely. The administration treats the objections as free publicity, every protest generates another news cycle about a Trump video celebrating American industry, American workers, or American military strength.
For Kahan, the cost of speaking up was a viral exchange that put his name next to a Trump manufacturing tour for days. The song is called "American Cars." The video showed the president at an American car factory. The White House did not need to say anything else, the irony wrote itself, and Dorr's one-liner made sure everyone noticed.
Artists who build careers on anthems about American life may want to consider what happens when the president agrees with the lyric sheet. The administration has made clear it will keep using the songs, and keep enjoying the argument when the artists complain.
