Donald Trump may consider Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a hero after he played the Foo Fighters’ 1997 anthem “My Hero” to welcome him to the stage at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday (Aug. 23) after the independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign and endorsed the Republican candidate, but the band calls the move a major failure.
Explore
Explore
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
“Foo Fighters were not asked for permission, and if they had been, they would not have granted it,” says a spokesman Billboard of unauthorized use. In addition, “appropriate action” will be taken against the campaign, the spokesperson continues, and any royalties collected as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
“I don’t think many of you have heard of him, he’s very private,” Trump said before the chorus of “My Hero” began to play as Kennedy joined Trump on stage and a series of flashbulbs went off. “He’s a very private person, but he’s highly respected. He’s a great person. I’ve known him for so long. 16 months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
When asked by the X-account called Wu-Tang Is for the Children if the band would “let Trump use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RKJ Jr. on stage,” the Foo Fighters account simply replied “no” and posted the exchange with the addition, “Let’s get this straight.”
This is the second time this week – and the third this month – that Trump’s campaign has clashed with a superstar for using music without permission. On Tuesday (August 22), Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung posted a 13-second video on his X-Account showing Trump getting off a plane while Beyoncé’s “Freedom” plays. The video came long after his opponent, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, had already been using the song (with permission) for weeks.
On Wednesday (August 21), Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign over the use of “Freedom.” Later that evening, the video was deleted from Cheung’s X-account.
In addition, on August 11, attorneys for the estate of Isaac Hayes filed a copyright infringement notice and threatened further legal action against the Trump campaign for the unauthorized use of Hayes’ “Hold On, I’m Coming” at several Trump rallies between 2022 and 2024.
The Trump team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
