Donald TrumpThe campaign claims its right to use “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters at events, although the band has publicly condemned the campaign’s previous use of the song.
“We have a license to play the song,” said Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in an email to The hill. He also tweeted the band and used puns on the group’s song titles in his response: “In times like these, facts matter, don’t be a hypocrite,” Cheung wrote, tagging Foo Fighters and adding a link to The Independent‘s article on the licensing issue.
Trump played the Foo Fighters’ 1997 anthem to welcome Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on stage at a rally on Friday (August 23) in Glendale, Arizona, after the independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump for president. “I don’t think many of you have heard of him, he’s very private,” Trump said just before the chorus of “My Hero” began to play. “He’s a very private person, but he’s highly respected. He’s a great person. I’ve known him for so long. For 16 months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
“Foo Fighters were not asked for permission and if they had, they would not have granted it,” a spokesman said earlier Billboard of unauthorized use. In addition, “appropriate action” will be taken against the campaign, the spokesperson added, noting that any royalties generated from the campaign’s use of the track will be donated to the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign.
The Trump campaign’s use of “My Hero” is the third case this month in which an artist has accused the campaign of using their music without permission. A day before the campaign’s use of “My Hero,” Cheung posted a 13-second video on his X account of Trump stepping off a plane to the sounds of Beyoncé’s “Freedom” – a song that the Harris/Walz campaign had been using as its official anthem for weeks with Beyonce’s permission. Shortly after Beyonce’s record label and music publisher sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter, Cheung removed the video from his account.
