Pop superstar Taylor Swift quietly removed her hit track “august” and subsequent audio tracks from a Donald Trump campaign TikTok account following a digital tug-of-war. According to the Daily Mail, Team Trump responded to the removal by posting a mock-up album cover featuring the Republican nominee wearing a red MAGA cap alongside a faux “Red (Donald Trump’s Version)” playlist.
The Bottom Line
- Taylor Swift’s 2020 track “august” and her 2012 track “Red” were stripped from official Team Trump TikTok placements.
- Team Trump’s social media staff responded by posting a mock-up of Swift’s Red album featuring Donald Trump wearing a red MAGA cap.
- Swift gained full ownership of her master recordings, including Folklore and Red, following a multi-year catalog acquisition process.
The Anatomy of a Digital Tug-of-War on TikTok
The latest clash between the global music icon and the political campaign unfolded across social media feeds as platform audio rights met political messaging. According to the Daily Mail, Team Trump originally shared a video featuring the backs of Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks, overlaid with the text “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
The clip initially utilized Swift’s bittersweet 2020 track “august” from her acclaimed Folklore album. At the time of posting, the campaign’s social media staff added a caption reading, “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!” accompanied by campaign hashtags. By Friday night, however, the audio track had vanished, displaying a copyright restriction pop-up note stating, “The copyright owner hasn’t made this sound available in your country,” alongside Swift’s name.
Team Trump’s “Red” Retaliation and Catalog Control
Rather than letting the copyright takedown pass quietly, the campaign leaned directly into the platform friction. According to the Daily Mail, Trump’s social media staff posted a follow-up video utilizing Swift’s 2012 single “Red.” The post featured a mock-up album cover swapping out Swift’s signature red lipstick portrait for an image of Trump wearing a red MAGA cap, captioned with the text, “Did you know Taylor Swift wrote a whole album about the color of the Republican Party.”
By Saturday midday, that audio track had also been scrubbed from the account, replaced by the platform’s standard unavailable-sound notification. Swift officially secured ownership of her original master recordings, which encompasses both the Red and Folklore albums, following a high-stakes ownership transition finalized in May 2025.
| Song Title | Album Source | Release Year | Status on Team Trump TikTok |
|---|---|---|---|
| “august” | Folklore | 2020 | Removed following copyright restriction notice |
| “Red” | Red | 2012 | Removed following subsequent campaign mock-up post |
| “The Fate of Ophelia” | N/A | N/A | Included in a November campaign clip |
Fandom Reactions and Precedent in Political Music Licensing
Swifties quickly took to the comment sections of the platform to celebrate the swift removal of the audio tracks. According to the Daily Mail, fan reactions ranged from celebratory remarks like “TAYLOR REMOVING THE AUDIO QUEEEEEEN” to direct rebukes of the campaign’s strategy. This episode follows previous instances where campaign content utilized tracks like “Father Figure” in November, which was similarly removed, though other clips posted during the same period have remained active.
