Jess Glynne has expressed her dismay, stating she feels “sick” after the White House used a viral Jet2holiday advertisement, featuring her song, as the soundtrack to a video promoting deportations.
The White House shared a clip on X on Wednesday, depicting individuals in handcuffs being escorted onto a GlobalX flight by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The video incorporates the audio from Jet2’s advertisement, which features Glynne’s 2015 hit “Hold My Hand” and the jingle “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday,” a phrase that has become a popular meme.
Zoe Lister, the voiceover artist for the Jet2 advertisement, conveyed to the BBC that she would “never condone my voiceover being used” to promote what she described as “Trump and his abhorrent policies.”
“The Jet2 meme has spread a lot of joy and humour around the world but the White House video shows that Trump has neither,” she added.
Responding to the controversial clip, Glynne stated on Instagram that her music “is about love, unity and spreading positivity – never about division or hate.”
The White House’s X post was captioned: “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!”
The post has drawn criticism, with one user calling the clip “embarrassing and unprofessional,” and another stating that it “shows a real lack of humanity.”
Conversely, some have expressed support for President Trump’s stance on immigration.
This incident is not the first instance of the Trump administration using memes on its social media accounts.
Earlier this month, an image of President Trump’s face superimposed on Superman’s was shared, captioned: “Truth. Justice. The American Way. Superman Trump.”
Weeks prior, the administration posted on X, stating: “Nowhere in the constitution does it say we can’t post banger memes.”
President Trump has recently committed $170 billion towards border and immigration enforcement, including $45 billion for detention. ICE is projected to see its funding increase by $76.5 billion over five years.
The Jet2holiday advertisement, which gained viral traction earlier in the summer, has been featured in over two million videos on TikTok.
Users have employed the audio in humorous and chaotic holiday videos, with one notable example featuring a woman on a rollercoaster struck by a seagull.
The sound has also been used to accompany disastrous moments, such as plane fights, holiday mishaps, and unsuccessful travel plans.
Zoe Lister has maintained a long-standing professional relationship with Jet2holidays, providing voiceovers for the company’s in-flight security announcements and telephone lines.
She previously told the BBC she loves the fact the advert has gone viral. Lister and Glynne recently met on Capital FM, where the singer expressed that the viral success of the advert was “a massive surprise.”
“It’s the most amazing thing to see though,” she added.
Lister has voiced her disapproval of the use of the soundtrack by politicians and similar public figures.
“That’s just not the vibe – it’s meant to be funny and a way for people to share ridiculous things that happen to them.
“Someone serious like a politician using it to push their political agenda is not something I agree with,” she said earlier this month.
Lister has expressed astonishment at the advertisement’s widespread popularity, noting that she frequently encounters people listening to the sound in public.
“It’s hilarious that I’m now being booked for gigs and festivals, people can’t get enough of it.”
The BBC has contacted Jet2 holidays for comment.
Glynne joins a growing list of musicians who have publicly objected to the use of their music by Trump over the past years.
Last summer, Abba complained after their hits including The Winner Takes it All were played at one of Trump’s presidential campaign rallies. They requested the videos be removed and taken down.
The estate of Sinéad O’Connor has also asked Trump to stop using her music at his political rallies. Her estate told the BBC O’Connor would have been “disgusted, hurt and insulted” by his use of her music.
Similarly, Adele distanced herself from the president in 2016 after he played Rolling In The Deep as his “warm-up” music and lawyers for Aerosmith star Steven Tyler sent Trump’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter in 2015. After the he played the band’s hit single Dream On at numerous rallies around the US.
BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.
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