Getty ImagesJess Glynne has said she feels “sick” that the White House has used the viral Jet2holiday advert featuring her song as the audio to a video promoting deportations.
The White House posted a clip on X on Wednesday evening showing handcuffed people being escorted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement onto a GlobalX flight.
Jet2’s advert featuring Glynne’s 2015 single Hold my Hand, and a cheery voiceover saying “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” – which has become a meme – is played over the video.
The post was captioned: “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!”
Responding to the clip, Glynne said on Instagram that her music “is about love, unity and spreading positivity – never about division or hate”.
The White House post on X has been met by some with criticism by many – one user said the clip was “embarrassing and unprofessional”, while another said that it “shows a real lack of humanity”.
Others have praised Trump for his stance on immigration.
It’s not the first time the Trump administration has posted memes on its social media account.
Earlier this month an image with the president’s face superimposed on Superman’s face was shared on the account with the caption: “Truth. Justice. The American Way. Superman Trump.”
A few weeks ago the administration posted on X saying: “Nowhere in the constitution does it say we can’t post banger memes.”
President Trump has recently committed $170bn for border and immigration enforcement, including $45m for detention. ICE, a federal law enforcement agency, will see its funding grow by $76.5bn over five years.
‘Politicians shouldn’t use this’
The Jet2holiday advert went viral at the start of the summer has been used in more than two million videos on TikTok.
People have used the audio to share funny and chaotic holiday videos – one of the most watched is of a woman on a rollercoaster who gets hit in the chest by a seagull.
The sound has also been put over disastrous moments such as plane fights, holiday mishaps and failed travel plans.
Zoe Lister is the actor behind the voiceover and has been working with Jet2holidays for a number of years.
She previously told the BBC, before the White House video was released, that she loves the fact the advert has gone viral.
But she doesn’t approve of politicians and similar public figures using the soundtrack.
“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 says she can’t believe the advert has gone viral and often hears people listening to the sound when she’s out 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.
