Just hours after Drake released his highly-anticipated new project, Iceman, the verified White House Instagram account with 1.7 million followers, posted a diamond-encrusted hand clutching a Cuban link chain bearing the word MAGA in iced-out letters. The caption? Simply: “ICED OUT.”
The post racked up over 1,000 likes and 246 comments within minutes, and the message was unmistakable: the administration was playing off Drake’s album rollout to amplify its immigration enforcement agency.
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The move drew immediate backlash and bewilderment online. Critics pointed out that the White House was leveraging one of hip-hop’s biggest cultural moments — jewelry, flexing, and street credibility — to brand a federal agency responsible for mass deportations.
It’s the latest in a string of social media moments where the current administration has adopted the aesthetics of Black culture to push political messaging, most of which has gotten massive backlash especially it’s been used without permission.
From blasting licensed music at rallies to repurposing viral cultural moments on official government social media, the administration has repeatedly leaned on the cachet of artists and pop culture to project an image of strength and relevance.
Musicians including Celine Dion, Rihanna, Adele, and the estate of Isaac Hayes have all formally objected to their music being used at Trump events, with several issuing cease and desist letters demanding the unauthorized use stop immediately.
The White House’s “ICED OUT” post is only the latest example of an administration that sees culture not as something to respect, but as a resource to exploit.
Drake, for his part, has not publicly responded to the White House’s post. But the internet certainly has.