The Trump administration hijacked Drake’s Iceman album rollout. Why, exactly?

The current administration is not new to leaving its constituents scratching their heads, and that trend has continued via a couple of deeply confusing social media posts last week referencing the popular rapper Drake. The Canadian rapper’s most recent feature in the public eye was due to a massive public feud with rapper Kendrick Lamar, which resulted in Lamar trouncing Drake, performing at the Super Bowl, and sweeping at the Grammys, while Drake tried, and failed, to sue for defamation. But Drake did not go gently into that good night; instead, two years after Lamar dropped his smash-hit diss track “Not Like Us,” Drake erected a 15-by-20-foot ice sculpture in downtown Toronto, where he’s from. The sculpture was supposed to melt naturally to reveal the release date for his latest project, Iceman, but the ensuing crowds led the local fire department to manually melt it. If that weren’t proof that Drake was ready to go big while refusing to go home, when Iceman was released on May 15, the rapper surprised fans by dropping three full-length albums: Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour.

But Drake, who has historically been good at generating hype, was maybe too good at it this time. Upon the release of Iceman, the White House tweeted an edited version of Drake’s album cover to promote ICE (as in, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that was the subject of intense protests this winter due to their penchant for kidnapping immigrants and killing civilians). The official White House TikTok also released an edit of clips of ICE agents set to a song from the album. Then, the Department of Energy got in on the action with their own oddly dated Drake meme. Other celebrities ranging from Beyoncé to the Foo Fighters to Kenny Loggins have spoken out against the administration for using their work without permission. Meanwhile, Drake has been silent about all of it. So, is this a sign that Drake has new conservative allies? Let’s break it all down.

The government posted what on its social media accounts?

On May 15, the day of Iceman’s release, the White House tweeted an edited version of Drake’s Iceman album cover to its official X account. The original cover is a photo of a white sparkly gloved hand (à la Michael Jackson) making the “OK” symbol (👌—maybe a reference to Toronto’s nickname, “The Six”?) against a black background. The White House’s edited version of the cover shows the hand holding a diamond MAGA chain, with the caption “ICED OUT.”

ICED OUT. pic.twitter.com/w6vwT0V4eU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 15, 2026

The White House also posted an edited video that combines clips of ICE agents set to the outro of the final song on the album, “Make Them Now,” to the official TikTok account.

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Additionally, the Department of Energy tweeted an edit of Drake’s cover for his album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late that instead says “If you’re reading this unleash American energy,” with a reference to a song on the album titled “Energy.” The DOE accompanied their edit with the caption “Dropping 3 albums is cool but we’re still on @Energy” (the @Energy tag being their own account).

Dropping 3 albums is cool but we’re still on @ENERGY pic.twitter.com/YXoNfOiPOv

— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) May 15, 2026

Do we think Drake meant to allude to ICE by calling his album Iceman? Also, is it telling that he used his album art to evoke Michael Jackson—who was notably accused of sexual assault—after Kendrick Lamar accused him of abuse in front of the world?

Not by my estimation, no. I’m sure he meant “Iceman” in the way my grandfather, whose nickname is actually Iceman, means it: to insinuate that, as my grandfather would say, he’s “one cold MFer.” He, of course, could also be referencing diamond-laden accessories. I’d bet many dollars that Drake did not mean it as a reference to ICE, though I concede that it was perhaps a large oversight on his part.

As for the Michael Jackson nod, this is likely a reference to Drake surpassing Jackson’s record for the most albums to spend a full decade on the Billboard 200. Though, again, considering that Jackson infamously faced a number of sexual assault allegations, specifically pertaining to minors, over the years, and Drake’s most recent debut in the public eye was due to Kendrick Lamar alleging that he is a pedophile, this reference also feels somewhat injurious.

Is Drake, uh, cool with this administration?

It’s not entirely clear where the Canadian star’s politics lie these days, but it also never has been. Drake has historically called out conservatives, praised Democrats, and spoken out about issues that are considered liberal. He lambasted Trump, without name-dropping, to a London crowd at his show in 2017, and called Trump a “fucking idiot” in 2018. He congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for their win in 2020, and he was a public supporter of the Obamas. He donated to bail relief efforts for George Floyd protestors and has been vocally pro-Palestine. Drake, who is publicly friends with a number of Arab people and has dipped a toe into using Arab culture in his work (hence one of his new releases being titled Habibti), even went so far as to call out DJ Khaled, who is Palestinian American, on the Iceman track “Make Them Pay” for being silent about the genocide.

But, none of that stopped Drake from also shouting out Adin Ross on the same song.

Who is Adin Ross?

Ross is a popular 25-year-old content creator who originally earned a following from livestreaming himself playing video games on Twitch. But later, when Ross became closely acquainted with the infamous misogynist Andrew Tate, who is currently under investigation for human trafficking and rape in multiple countries, Ross’ content began to take an alt-right turn. This descent into multi-phobic conservative influencing is well documented in a Rolling Stone feature on his rise as a far-right internet personality, but the proof is in his content, which became much more focused on cancel culture and gender grievances. Since this pointed turn, Ross has platformed and/or interviewed right-wing extremists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis. Naturally, Ross has also publicly supported Trump during the president’s most recent campaign, even interviewing him in 2024, though he has since said he regrets both his public statement of support and getting into politics more generally. (Since expressing that remorse, he has continued to stream with figures like Nick Fuentes.)

Ross is also a personal friend of Drake’s. Over the past few years, they’ve livestreamed together, bonded over their love of gambling, and more. During a recent livestream wherein Ross was listening to Iceman, he caught his reaction upon realizing that Drake even name-dropped him on “Make Them Pay.” If you’re counting, Adin Ross’ two most famous close friends are Tate and Drake—one man who is currently being investigated for being an abuser and another who was publicly accused of being one.

Interesting. I know you mentioned some more liberal-coded activities on Drake’s part, but has he since leaned more conservative? In other words, is this a sign? 

It’s telling that Drake hasn’t said anything against Trump’s perhaps unauthorized use of his work—something the administration is known for doing, much to the vocal dismay of many artists. But it’s not that surprising, if Drake’s support from the fans like DJ Akademiks is anything to go by. DJ Akademiks—a known Trump fan and controversial content creator and streamer who discusses the music industry and is infamous for spewing blatant misogyny and increasingly conservative political views while doing so—rebuked the idea that Drake should denounce the administration’s support of him or usage of his album cover for clout. DJ Akademiks is a longtime Drake supporter, one whom the rapper himself has met with and acknowledged in return, despite the streamer’s controversiality. And, while celebrities can’t control who their fans are, it is also rare that they give divisive fans personal gifts.

Some have also pointed to the evolution of Drake’s lyrics as a sign of a potential political shift, as he has published work that has become increasingly misogynistic in its own right. Though, misogyny in hip-hop has been a difficult conversation since the form’s inception, and misogyny is not exclusively a partisan issue.

I think Drake’s politics are best exemplified by shouting out Adin Ross on the same song that disses DJ Khaled for remaining mum about Palestine. They’re fairly unknowable. Though not everyone in the industry has been supportive of Drake’s decision to stay quiet about the government’s posts.

Are Drake’s confusing politics unique to him, or is this a common thing in the industry?

Well, there is a pattern of celebrities who have turned to conservatism after they’ve been “canceled.” But Drake’s unnavigable politics are long-standing, and a part of what really allowed Lamar to launch his accusations of phoniness at Drake during their massive feud.

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While we’re monitoring this situation and taking notes, there really isn’t a conclusion to come to. Drake’s situation is much different from the radical conservative slidings of, say, Nicki Minaj. And the rap community has flirted with incoherent politics for years, aided in today’s era by Trump’s decision to commute or pardon the prison sentences of rappers like Kodak Black and NBA YoungBoy. Waka Flocka Flame has been a longtime outspoken Trump supporter, while 50 Cent has been utterly confusing on that front. Still, Flame claims to care about mental health advocacy, and 50 Cent used a montage advocating for police brutality awareness in a music video—which are not exactly MAGA causes.

The stronger likelihood is that many of these celebrities might not think in terms of political structures but in terms of proximity. Most rappers are Black men, meaning they likely care about the issues plaguing Black men. Drake happens to be close with many Arab people, making it unsurprising that he would be pro-Palestine. It is also not shocking that, for someone who has an interest in his proximity to capital, he might choose to overlook Ross’ politics in favor of the larger platform and money Ross’ support could net him. But this isn’t some niche observation. This is how many people in the world engage politically: with a priority of proximity over some central political ideology. This is partially why the politics of hip-hop have long been, on a grander scale, incoherent—even if they have been pro-Black. Still, I will be on the lookout for more pandering social media activity from this administration. Rest assured, I am unhappy about that sentence.

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