The White House is pushing back hard after pop star Ariana Grande publicly questioned whether President Donald Trump’s 250 days in office have yielded tangible benefits for the public.
Grande, 32, shared an Instagram post by podcast host and makeup artist Matt Bernstein, who asked Trump voters a pointed series of questions.
“It’s been 250 days. Now that immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed, now that trans people have been blamed for virtually everything and live in fear, now that free speech is on the brink of collapse for us all — has your life gotten better?” Bernstein asked.
“Have your groceries gotten cheaper? Has your health insurance premium gone down?” he continued. “Has the widespread suffering of others paid off for you in the way he promised it would, or are you still waiting?”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai responded to Ariana Grande using her own song titles, including “Save Your Tears,” “Just Like Magic,” and “Get Well Soon,” in a statement to The Independent.
“Save your tears, Ariana, because President Trump’s actions ended Joe Biden’s inflation crisis and are bringing in trillions in new investments,” Desai said.
Desai also made an indirect jab by referencing the Federal Trade Commission’s ongoing lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, claiming that the president had signed an executive order that enabled the FTC to “crack down” on ticket price inflation, and suggesting that supporters of Grande might appreciate that move.
“He even signed an executive order just like magic that paved the way for the FTC to crack down on Ticketmaster for ripping off Ariana Grande’s concert-going fans. Get well soon, Ariana!”
Grande, who is set to embark on her first tour in seven years in 2026, recently criticized resellers for inflating prices of her sold-out tour tickets, which are now listed at high rates online.
“Hi my angels, I have been on set all week but I wanted to let you know that what’s been happening with the secondary ticket resellers has been brought to my attention and of course I am incredibly bothered by it,” Grande wrote in an Instagram story on September 13.
“I’ve been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution. I hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs. It’s not right,” she continued.
“I just wanted you to know that my team and I see it and that I care very much and we will do, and are doing, everything we can. I love you so much and thank you for your patience and understanding,” Grande said.
This isn’t the first time Grande has challenged Trump publicly. Earlier this year, she pushed back against his administration’s decision to formally recognize only male and female sexes.
“We’re bracing ourselves for what these extremists will try to do next,” Grande wrote.
Grande publicly supported Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and previously performed for the Obamas at a 2014 White House event.
