British singer Jess Glynne expressed outrage and heartbreak after discovering the Trump administration used her uplifting hit Hold My Hand in a deportation-themed video, condemning the unauthorized use of her music to promote what she calls “division and hate,” sparking widespread backlash and a renewed debate over political misuse of art.

British pop star Jess Glynne has expressed outrage after discovering that her 2015 hit single Hold My Hand was used in a recent deportation-themed video posted by the U.S. government under the administration of former President Donald Trump.

The post, shared Monday on X (formerly Twitter) by the official White House account, sparked immediate backlash after pairing upbeat audio from a viral TikTok trend with disturbing footage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deporting migrants.

The now-deleted post featured migrants boarding planes, overlaid with audio from the Jet2 Holidays version of Glynne’s Hold My Hand, a sound that has been trending on TikTok in recent weeks due to a comedic resurgence tied to budget holiday memes.

The caption read: “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!”

Glynne, 35, responded with disgust. On Wednesday evening, she shared a screenshot of the post on her Instagram Story with a direct message for the Trump administration and her fans.

“This post honestly makes me sick,” she wrote. “My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity — never about division or hate.”

The UK singer, who rose to fame in the mid-2010s and became the first British female solo artist to score seven number-one singles on the UK charts, said she was “horrified” to see her music co-opted for what she described as a “mocking” and “inhumane” government message.

Although she did not mention Trump by name, the video was published on official White House channels that have been reinstated under the Trump 2025 administration following his return to office.

The viral Jet2-themed TikTok trend — from which the video’s soundtrack was lifted — typically shows users overlaying Glynne’s song and a cheerful budget airline voiceover onto humorous clips of underwhelming or chaotic holiday moments.

However, the White House’s use of the audio in a political context, particularly in relation to deportations, has drawn swift criticism not just from Glynne, but from human rights groups and music industry insiders.

Jet2, the British low-cost airline whose marketing helped propel the song to new heights of recognizability, has yet to release a statement.

The company has long used Hold My Hand in advertisements and as pre-flight boarding music — a fact that led to both affection and parody, with TikTok users previously joking about the song being played “on loop” before takeoff.

The Trump administration has faced numerous accusations of unauthorized music use over the years.

High-profile artists including Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Neil Young, Adele, and the estate of Tom Petty have all previously demanded their songs be removed from Trump campaign events and promotional materials.

In many cases, artists argued that the use of their music implied a false endorsement or was being weaponized in support of political messaging they did not approve of.

Jess Glynne now joins this growing list. Although Hold My Hand was released nearly a decade ago and has enjoyed multiple viral renaissances since — including on TikTok in 2018 and again in 2025 — Glynne has remained protective of the song’s message, which she says was always about comfort, unity, and resilience.

“This song was never meant to soundtrack cruelty,” one of her fans posted in a comment that’s since gone viral on X. “It’s about being there for someone — not sending them away.”

The controversy reignites the ongoing debate about music licensing, political messaging, and digital platform ethics, especially as social media trends continue to bleed into official government communications.

With TikTok audio clips so often repurposed without artist input, Glynne’s case raises questions about how much control musicians truly have over their work once it becomes part of meme culture — and, now, government propaganda.

As of Thursday, the White House has not responded to requests for comment, and the offending video appears to have been removed from their feed.

Jess Glynne, meanwhile, has gained renewed support from fans and fellow musicians, many of whom are calling for tighter restrictions on political use of copyrighted music.

For Glynne, the message remains clear: her music, her voice, and her values are not up for political exploitation.