The White House posted videos and photos on TikTok and Instagram set to Noah Kahan's song "American Cars" to celebrate Donald Trump's visit to a General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. Kahan responded directly on the White House Instagram post on Monday, July 27, 2025: "Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration." Billboard

His comment drew significant engagement — more than 53,500 likes and over 840 comments, according to Billboard's report. Noah Levine, co-writer of "American Cars" and Kahan's frequent collaborator, left a blunter reply on the same post: "You fat f— this song isn't for you." Levine's comment was later removed from the White House Instagram post.

As of Billboard's publication, the song was still playing on the White House TikTok post from the Michigan event. The White House had captioned that TikTok simply: "Nothing like American cars." USA Today

Kaelan Dorr, the Trump administration's principal deputy communications director, fired back on X: "Symptoms of TDS apparently include having a northern attitude." The line references Kahan's 2022 album title I Was / I Am track "Northern Attitude" — or, more directly, the phrase as a cultural marker Kahan has built his brand around. TDS, short for "Trump Derangement Syndrome," is a term used by Trump supporters to describe criticism of the former president.

The reason the White House could use the track at all traces to a licensing deal struck in 2024 between Universal Music Group, Kahan's label group, and Meta. That agreement placed Kahan's recordings in Instagram's public music library, meaning any user — including a government account — can add them to posts without seeking case-by-case permission from the artist.

What makes this standoff familiar is how often it has happened before. Billboard reported that artists including Beyoncé, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, Guns N' Roses, Jack White, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, and Rihanna have all previously objected to Trump using their music. The disputes typically turn on a gap between what platform licensing allows and what artists feel endorses them personally — a political figure's social media post carries a different weight than a stranger's, even if the same song sits in the same library.

For Kahan, the objection was explicit. His comment did not request a takedown through legal channels; it stated a position. The White House has not removed the posts.