The White House posted a TikTok video featuring Katy Perry's song “Firework” over footage of U.S. military strikes on Iranian targets. The American singer publicly condemned the unauthorized use of her music on the video-focused social media platform. The video was captioned “Iran has been warned.” As of July 25, 2026, the clip had amassed more than 6 million views.

Perry stated on X that she was deeply appalled and angry to see “Firework” used on the White House TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. She added that she did not approve this, was not asked, and absolutely does not condone it.

Perry explained that she wrote the song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments. She said to see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything her song stands for. She stated that her music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.

The White House spokesperson referred to a previous music video in which Perry appeared as an American soldier when asked about her objection to the use of “Firework.” The administration launched its TikTok account in August 2025, as confirmed by the official White House social media team.

This incident follows previous disputes involving the use of artists' music in political contexts. The White House TikTok account previously used the White Stripes' song “Seven Nation Army” in a video about military action. That track was written by Jack White, who is among other artists, including Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and Céline Dion, who have objected to the Trump administration using their music. Beyoncé blocked Donald Trump from using her song “Freedom” after it was featured in a campaign video on social media.

Pete Hegseth is the U.S. Defense Secretary. U.S. Representative Thomas Massie stated on X that the Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire. Massie added that by going more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable.

Perry performed during the 49th edition of the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, on Saturday. “Firework” was part of her 2010 album “Teenage Dream,” which included five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits. She previously performed the track at the 2021 Biden Presidential Inauguration, where it was accompanied by a fireworks display over the National Mall. In 2023, Perry sold the master recordings and publishing rights to five of her albums, including “Teenage Dream,” to Litmus Music in a deal reported at $225 million.

The use of “Firework” shows ongoing tensions between artists and political entities regarding intellectual property and message alignment. Perry's explicit rejection of the soundtrack usage reflects the distinction between personal artistic intent and state-sponsored military messaging. The video's reach of more than 6 million views demonstrates the scale of distribution for White House content on TikTok since the account's launch in August 2025.