Former President Donald Trump has drawn the ire of yet another music group for using his music without permission. This time, it’s the Foo Fighters.
Trump performed the band’s song “My Hero” as he welcomed former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a rally in Arizona on Friday. Kennedy had announced earlier that day that he had abandoned his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump.
The Republican Party candidate said Kennedy would have “a huge impact on this campaign.”
However, they cannot count on the support of the Foo Fighters.
Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images
A spokesperson for the band commented on the Trump campaign’s use of “My Hero” to CBS News on Saturday: “The Foo Fighters were not asked for permission and if they had been, they would not have given it.”
The spokesperson added that all royalties collected from the Trump campaign’s use of the song will be donated to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.
When asked if the band had given Trump permission to “use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RJF Jr. on stage,” the Foo Fighters account on X simply replied, “No.” The account then shared the exchange, adding, “Let’s get this straight.”
This is the latest incident in which the Trump team has come into conflict over the unauthorized use of music.
Earlier this week, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chueng posted a 13-second video on his X account of the former president stepping off a plane while Beyonce’s “Freedom” plays in the background, Billboard reported. A day later, the singer’s record label and music producer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign for using the song. Cheung took down the video.
On 11 August Lawyers for Isaac Hayes’ estate threatened to sue Trump if his campaign doesn’t stop using the late soul singer’s song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at its rallies. A letter shared on social media by Hayes’ family is demanding $3 million in royalties for the use of the song at Trump’s campaign events starting in 2022. According to Hayes’ family, the song has been played 134 times by the Trump campaign over the past two years.
At the same time, representatives of Canadian superstar Celine Dion stated that the The campaign’s use of her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a recent rally was “unauthorized” and had not received their permission.
“And really, THIS song?” Dion’s representatives cheekily asked in a statement posted on the singer’s social media accounts.
