Olivia Rodrigo is continuing to speak out about politics after hosting a music festival that raised $20 million for reproductive health organizations.
She reflected on her row with the Trump administration last year over the use of her song to promote the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, accusing the federal agency of strategically baiting celebrities into responding in an interview with NPR
that aired Sept. 3."Oh my god, it was just awful to see a song that I wrote about feeling trapped in a misogynistic box that we put women in – seeing that song being put to these grotesque, cruel scenes of ICE raids, it was awful," she told "Morning Edition" host Leila Fadel.
The DHS used her 2023 song "All-American Bitch" in a Nov. 4 social media post
to promote self-deportations among undocumented immigrants in a video. Though the post is still live, Rodrigo's track that accompanies the video does not play.
"Looking back at it now, also I think that's sort of a little bit of a tool they use," Rodrigo, 23, continued. "Picking fights with pop stars is a great distraction while they do other awful, awful things."
Rodrigo reportedly posted a comment, which is no longer available, that responded: "Don't ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda."
In response to Rodrigo's NPR interview, a DHS spokesperson reiterated the response the agency issued last year regarding the Disney Channel alumna's social media comment. The statement, shared with USA TODAY Sept. 3, said, "America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice."
Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Noah Kahan and Sabrina Carpenter are among the musicians who have recently vocally objected to the Trump administration scoring social media posts with their songs, while Taylor Swift appeared to quietly take action when her songs no longer played in TikToks posted by the White House and "Team Trump" campaign account.
Olivia Rodrigo blasts those 'trying to strip us of our rights'
The Grammy winner has previously been outspoken about political issues such as the repeal of Roe v. Wade and immigrant rights.
With her Daisy Chain Fields Festival on Aug. 29, she pledged a $10 million total donation divvied up among 10 organizations supporting women and girls – including Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Domestic Workers Alliance – which was doubled to $20 million by the end of the night after philanthropist Melinda French Gates matched the funds.
"I think it was really important for me to do this festival right now 'cause I just feel like we're so discouraged… . I think that the people who want to keep us down are really relying on us feeling alone and overwhelmed," Rodrigo told NPR. "And I think the antidote to that is the joy in community."
She clarified that her statement was in regards to "people who are trying to strip us of our rights" and noted, that when Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair festival was touring in the late '90s, "women had more bodily autonomy in America than they do now."
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 after nearly 50 years, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
Shortly before the ruling was issued, Rodrigo – then 19 years old – paused a concert in Washington, D.C., to condemn a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that indicated the justices might upend the 1973 decision.
"What a woman does with her body should never be in the hands of politicians," she said. "And I hope we can use our voices to protect the right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olivia Rodrigo slams Trump administration for 'picking fights with pop stars'
