This article is available in Spanish in El Tiempo Latino.
Summary
The Trump campaign showed a video of Celine Dion singing the theme from Titanic at a rally in Montana, and Dion was reprimanded for unauthorized use of the video. A post on Threads then shared a fake quote from Lara Trump, who responded to Dion by saying, “We don’t give a shit” and “I sing the song myself.” The quote came from a satirical X account.
Full story
Former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, on August 9 to drum up support for himself and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. During the rally, a video of Canadian singer Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song from the movie Titanic, was shown.
The next day, a post on Dion’s X-Account read: “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana. This use is not authorized in any way and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.” The post ended with a jab at the choice of music: “And really, THIS song?”
The Trump team did not respond to Dion, the BBC reported.
But an Aug. 10 thread post falsely claimed that Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, had responded to Dion’s statement. According to the post, “a defiant Laura Trump” said, “We don’t give a damn about a letter from non-American Celine Dion. I’ll sing the song myself. Nobody can stop this Titanic.” The post shows images of Lara Trump at a campaign rally with a sinking ship with the word “Trump” written on it in the background.
A spokesperson for the RNC told USA Today that Lara Trump, who has released several songs on Spotify and other music streaming platforms, had not said anything about it. The quote comes from a X-Account called @NotHoodlum, which describes its content as “commentary” and “satirical emeritus” and is often critical of Donald Trump. The threaded post that shared the content did not include a satire label.
The former president’s unauthorized use of songs at his rallies has angered some musicians. The Rolling Stones and REM, as well as other musicians or their estates, have threatened to sue Trump for using their songs at his 2016 or 2020 campaign rallies. Recently, the family of Isaac Hayes demanded that Trump pay $3 million in royalties for using the song “Hold On, I’m Coming,” co-written by Hayes, at his rallies and that he be banned from playing the song at future events.
Alexandra Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University, explains in an article on the university’s news site that political campaigns generally need the right to use certain songs at rallies. “They have to pay for it; they have to get those permissions,” Roberts said. “Typically, the event organizers secure a license from the rights holders and have to make sure that the license covers the songs they want and does not preclude political use.”
Musicians can claim that unauthorized use of their music could constitute false advertising under the Lanham Act, the federal trademark law, Roberts explains.
“The idea is that the political use of a song creates the impression in consumers’ minds that the artist actually supports that politician, agrees with that use and is a fan of that message,” Roberts says in the article. “If a politician really ties a song to their image or message, for example, constantly uses it as background music … then I think false claims of endorsement could be possible.”
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations Collaboration with Facebook to debunk misinformation on social media. Our previous stories can be found HereFacebook has no control about our editorial content.
Sources
BBC. “Céline Dion ‘doesn’t support’ Trump’s use of Titanic song.” August 14, 2024.
Byik, Andre. “’Titanic’ quote falsely attributed to Lara Trump | Fact check.” USA Today. August 14, 2024.
Celine Dion. @celinedion. “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana. This use is not authorized in any way and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use. …And really, THIS song?” X. August 10, 2024.
Earls, Maya. “REM bassist calls Trump ‘con artist,’ threatens legal action over music at campaign rally.” McClatchy DC. January 17, 2020.
Levenson, Eric. “The Rolling Stones ask Trump campaign to stop playing their songs at rallies.” CNN. June 28, 2020.
Limehouse, Jonathan. “The beat goes on: Trump keeps dancing as artists are outraged at his use of their songs.” USA Today. Updated August 15, 2024.
Mello-Klein, Cody. “Can Donald Trump or Joe Biden play whatever music they want at a rally or convention? Legal expert says it’s more complicated.” Northeastern Global News. July 17, 2024.
Miller, Blair. “Trump rallies thousands in Bozeman to support Republican Senate candidate Sheehy.” Daily Montanan. August 10, 2024.
Republican National Committee. RNC Leader. Lara Trump. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
Tanyos, Faris. “Use of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at Trump rally was ‘unauthorized,’ officials say.” CBS News. August 11, 2024.
Timotija, Filip. “Lara Trump releases single, previews future songs for ‘liberal media.’” The Hill. March 29, 2024.
U.S. Trademark Law. Federal Laws. Section 43 (15 U.S.C. Section 1125). False Appellations of Source; False Description or Representation. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
Yilek, Caitlin. “Isaac Hayes’ family threatens to sue Trump for using his song at rallies.” CBS News. August 12, 2024.
