White House hit by Swift, Spider-Man backlash

Questions are growing over the removal of Taylor Swift’s music from several social media videos associated with US President Donald Trump and the White House, as a separate controversy erupted over the administration’s use of Spider-Man in an immigration-related post.

Neither Swift nor the White House has publicly explained why the songs were removed. The development has prompted speculation among fans about whether the singer or her representatives objected to the use of her music.

The controversy comes as the White House faces criticism over a social media post featuring Spider-Man in connection with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The post used images styled around the superhero’s web-slinging abilities. It portrayed people being caught in a web alongside a message referring to the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

The White House caption described the imagery as coming from “your friendly neighborhood ICE agents.”

The post quickly triggered criticism from Spider-Man fans, with many users calling on Marvel Studios to take action over the unauthorised use of the character for political messaging.

Several commenters urged Marvel to seek the removal of the post, while others argued that Spider-Man should not be associated with the administration’s immigration policies.

Marvel Studios has not publicly responded to the controversy or indicated whether it plans to challenge the White House over the use of Spider-Man.

The backlash has also drawn comparisons with the recent disappearance of Swift’s songs from Trump-related and White House social media content.

Swift has previously been politically outspoken. In the 2024 US presidential election, she endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who was then serving as vice president, rather than Trump.

However, Swift has not recently made public comments about Trump in connection with the latest developments.

The absence of an official explanation has left fans debating whether the removal of her music was requested by the singer herself, prompted by licensing issues or resulted from another decision by the White House or Trump campaign.

The two controversies have unfolded at the same time, prompting renewed discussion about the use of entertainment figures, music and popular fictional characters in political communication.