"Peak Dark": SZA Slams Trump’s White House for Using Artists as ‘Rage Bait’

The R&B superstar isn't taking the bait. SZA joins a growing list of musicians calling out the administration's "evil and boring" tactic of using pop hits to promote controversial policies.

SZA has officially entered the chat, and she is not mincing words.

The "Kill Bill" singer took to social media on Wednesday (Dec. 10) to dismantle what she describes as a calculated, "inhumane" publicity strategy by the Donald Trump White House: using beloved music to provoke artists into a fight.

The "Rage Bait" Theory The conversation started when Terrence “Punch” Henderson, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment, posted on X (formerly Twitter) about a disturbing trend. "Trying to provoke artists to respond in order to help spread propaganda and political agendas is nasty business," Henderson wrote. "Knock it off."

SZA quoted the post, adding her own sharp critique of the administration's tactics. "White House rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK," she wrote. She went on to slam the use of "shock and awe tactics," labeling the entire strategy as both "Evil n Boring."

A Pattern of Provocation SZA and Punch didn't name specific examples, but the context is clear. In recent months, the White House official social media accounts have repeatedly used hit songs by liberal-leaning pop stars to soundtrack videos depicting aggressive immigration enforcement by ICE.

• Sabrina Carpenter recently commented that a video using her hit "Juno" to show officers tackling people was "evil and disgusting."

  • The White House Response: Instead of deleting it, a spokesperson mocked the singer using her own lyrics from "Manchild" : "Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?"

• Olivia Rodrigo faced a similar situation when her chart-topping hit "vampire" was used for government propaganda. "Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda," she demanded.

  
  

"Congrats, You Got Played" The administration seems to be embracing the villain role. Following backlash from fans of Taylor Swift regarding the unauthorized use of her track "The Fate of Ophelia", a White House official told Variety that the outrage is the point. "We made this video because we knew fake news media brands… would breathlessly amplify them," the official gloated. "Congrats, you got played."

For SZA, however, this isn't just political strategy—it's a moral failure. And she refuses to play along.