The White House used Noah Kahan's song "American Cars" in an Instagram post depicting President Donald Trump's visit to General Motors' flagship test site in Michigan. By Tuesday, Kahan had responded directly in the post's comments: "Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration." (Rolling Stone)

The White House posted the series of photos on a Monday, set to the Kahan track. Fans spotted it first, tagging the singer in the comments to flag the usage before he weighed in himself. Kahan's reply came the following day, also in the Instagram comment thread.

"American Cars" carries a personal origin: Kahan wrote the song for his sister Sasha, according to Rolling Stone. The Vermont-born artist has built a large following with autobiographical, folk-inflected songwriting, and the track sits within that body of work rather than as any kind of political statement of his own.

Kahan's comment is the latest in a long line of artists publicly distancing themselves from unauthorised political use of their music. The pattern is familiar across administrations and party lines: a campaign or government account pairs a song with imagery, the artist objects, and the dispute plays out in public — sometimes escalating to cease-and-desist letters, sometimes, as here, staying within a social media comment thread.

Rolling Stone reported that representatives for both Kahan and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

No legal action has been announced. Whether the White House will remove the track or the post remains unclear, and no further statement from either party has been issued beyond Kahan's comment.