Jack White vs Donald Trump: A timeline of the long-running feud
Donald Trump vs the music world. The war wages on.
At first, it was an ongoing battle of artists denying him use of their music or endorsing his opposition online. But since Trump became president for a second time, it’s stepped up as the White House has not been shy about throwing insults at the world’s biggest stars. In the ring for this round, it’s Jack White.
It is absolutely insane to be sitting here writing an article about a president, a leader of a nation, getting into social media fights with rock stars. Sometimes when I read the statements that Trump releases via the official White House communications team about musicians, I think surely I must be in some kind of strange dream. Why could a president care? Why would he waste time on petty comebacks when the world collapses more and more each day? These are the questions on everyone’s lips in 2025 as Trump launches his newest catty spat. First it was Taylor Swift, then it was Bruce Springsteen, now it’s Jack White.
But White vs Trump goes back quite some time – as most of these feuds do. Like with many of the stars Trump attacks, they’re people who have publicly condemned him from the very start when he moved into politics for the first time and launched his initial bid for the presidency.
It felt like a joke back then, but now, in his second time around, despite being impeached and charged with federal crimes in between them, the danger of Trump becomes clearer and more transparent. And so, in turn, artists have to get louder. Everyone has to get louder, but for people with a platform, now is the time to not take the boot off the neck of a figure who looks more like a dictator every day.
Having previously seemed to back down from his fight against Trump, it’s good to see Jack White back up and swinging, even if it is still utterly bizarre that a president would be wasting time throwing insults at a White Stripes member. But here we are, this is the world now, and these are the events so far.
Jack White vs Donald Trump: A timeline of a feud:
October 2016
The White Stripes publicly denounce Donald Trump
After Trump used ‘Seven Nation Army’ in a campaign ad during his first presidential run, The White Stripes were quick to put a stop to that.
Joining the long list of other artists who denied Trump use of their music, Meg and Jack White released a joint statement making it clear that they did not give permission for Trump to use their music.
White’s label, Third Man Records, also got involved asking Trump to not to use any of The White Stripes, or any Third Man Records material for his rallies. If that didn’t make their alliances clear, the band also released merch that real “Icky Trump”, referencing the track ‘Icky Thump’ to mock the man.
2019
White backs Bernie
While nothing to do with Trump, during the 2020 presidential race that managed to get the clown out of the office, White publicly endorsed Bernie Sanders. He made his political leanings clear when he spoke out in support of ridding of the electoral college.
Granting his music to Bernie’s race, he played a long set at one of Sander’s rally, which likely didn’t help Trump’s scorned feelings towards the star.
August / September 2024
Lawsuit filed over ‘Seven Nation Army’
Then he was back.
After being impeached, voted out and facing federal charges, Trump was somehow back in the race for the 2024 presidential election and history truly repeated itself.
On August 29th, 2024, Trump’s staff used ‘Seven Nation Army’ again and White went in hard. “Oh….Don’t even think about using my music you fascists. Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others)”, he wrote on social media.
It wasn’t an empty threat. On September 9th, 2024, the band filed a complaint against Trump alleging copyright and trademark infringement. In the lawsuit, they made their standing clear again as they said they “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump when he was president and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks.”
November 10th, 2024
Lawsuit cancelled
However, despite their passion before, there was a strange cowardice when the band, only four days after Trump was declared president, withdrew their lawsuit.
Seemingly backing down after Trump took charge, the band filed to voluntarily dismiss all claims against him. They said nothing, they just let it go.
This is what shouldn’t happen. At a time when the temperature is rising and the state of the world is shifting dramatically towards darkness, we need to be steadfast. The pressure shouldn’t be removed.
August 18th, 2025
Jack White slams Trump over White House decor
In August 2025, White rage returned. As Trump met with Ukrainian president, Zelensky, following their disgusting meeting earlier this year where the US leader mocked him for his attire, the meeting once again descended into childish comments on appearance. It pissed White off.
“Look at how disgusting trump has transformed the historic White House,” White wrote as he shared a photo of Trump in his newly designed office with the Ukranian leader, adding, “It’s now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room. Can’t wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too, he’s almost fully achieved the movie Idiocracy.”
He continued, “Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes? A gold plated trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it?” before declaring – “What an embarrassment to American history.”
August 19th, 2025
The White House hits back
In Trump’s second run, no one seems able to critique him without a comeback. As proved by his reaction to Springsteen, the White House wasted no time in hitting back at Jack White for his comments, and the response is insane.
The White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said, “Jack White is a washed up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career.”
Continuing the petty response, they added, “It’s apparent he’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House.’”
August 20th, 2025
Jack White reponds
This time round, Jack White isn’t backing down. “Masquerading as a real artist’? Thank you for giving me my tombstone engraving! That orange grifter has spent more tax payer money cheating at golf than helping ANYONE in the country. Improve. Anything,” White responded, adding that Trump is “masquerading as a human being”.
He laughed at the administrations harsh response to him essentially just critiquing decor. “How funny that it wasn’t me calling out Trump’s blatant fascist manipulation of government, his gestapo ICE tactics, his racist remarks about Latinos, Native Americans, etc,” he wrote, adding, “How petty and pathetic and thin-skinned could this administration get?”
But then in a new social media post, he went in once again on all of that, making his standpoint stark as he wrote, “This man is a danger to not just America but the entire world and that’s not an exaggeration, he’s dismantling democracy and endangering the planet on a daily basis, and we. all. know. it.”
