It’s time to face the music
Trump once claimed that he punched his second grade music teacher because he thought they didn’t know anything about music. Well, clearly neither does he because, for the third election cycle in a row, his campaign has attracted a series of lawsuits for using artist’s music at his rallies without their permission.
These appropriations have historically backfired to spectacular effect. In 2020, when then-President Trump played Guns N’ Roses’ cover of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Live and Let Die” at a rally in which the Republican nominee refused to wear a COVID mask, Axl Rose responded by creating t-shirts with the phrase “Live N’ Let Die with COVID 45.” All proceeds from the clothing were donated to the MusiCares charity, which was offering relief to artists affected by the pandemic. That same year, the Trump campaign also received a lawsuit from folk-rock legend Neil Young, as well as denouncements from American singer-songwriter Tom Petty and Guyanese-British artist Eddy Grant.
The 2024 election cycle offers more of the same, with a fresh spate of artists criticising his use of their music, not to mention his outright faking of an endorsement from Taylor Swift last month. Below, we have tracked down every time (so far) that the Republican nominee has been called out for using music without permission this election cycle.
The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
All the way back in 2016, the Trump campaign produced a political ad using “Seven Nation Army” as the backing track and was immediately rebuked by The White Stripes frontman Jack White. In response, White’s label Third Man Records released a series of merch in line with the recently released album Icky Thump, which was renamed Icky Trump and featured altered lyrics referencing the then-Republican nominee. This response did not seem to be severe enough as, only this morning (August 30), the Trump campaign was called out once more for using “Seven Nation Army” in a post on X. This time, White added: “Lawsuit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others).”
Sinéad O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U”
The estate of late singer Sinéad O’Connor was provoked into issuing a statement against Trump after the Republican nominee played her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” at a Maryland rally in March of this year. “It was with outrage that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at his political rallies,” read a joint statement from O’Connor’s estate and label Chrysalis Records, adding that it was “no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted” by Trump’s use of her music.
The Smiths –“Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”
“Consider this shit shut down right now,” was The Smiths’ frontman Johnny Marr’s response upon finding out that the band’s single “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” had been used as pre-rally music at a Trump event in Laconia, New Hampshire in January of this year. It later surfaced that the track had also been spun at a separate rally in Rapid City, South Dakota in 2023.
Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On”
Earlier this month (August 2024), a video emerged in which Trump played the Titanic theme at a rally in Montana as members of the crowd emotionally embraced and swayed to the music. In response, Dion’s management and Sony Music Canada issued a joint statement that “Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” followed by the kicker: “...and really, THAT song?”
Sam & Dave – “Hold On I’m Comin’”
An ongoing lawsuit was filed earlier this month when it emerged that Trump had been playing soul classic “Hold On I’m Comin’” at various speaking events. The estate of composer Isaac Hayes is demanding $3 million in damages resulting from copyright infringement between 2022 and 2024, with a court date set for September 5. In particular, the estate criticised Trump’s use of the track at a National Rifle Association event in May 2022, instead emphasising their sympathy for victims of the Uvalde mass shooting which had taken place days earlier.
Foo Fighters – “My Hero”
The Foo Fighters had one word for Trump when they found out that he had played “My Hero” during a rally in which former independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. was brought out: “No”. A later statement expanded that any increased royalties from the song arising from the event would be donated to Kamala Harris’s campaign.
Beyoncé – “Freedom”
Less than a month after the Harris campaign debuted their support from Beyoncé with the track “Freedom”, a video was posted on X which depicted Trump using the song at a rally in Detroit. Unsurprisingly, they were promptly served a cease and desist letter.
Abba – “Money, Money, Money”
Late last night, ABBA joined the long queue of artists aggrieved by Trump’s campaign when the group discovered that the Republican nominee had played multiple hits, including “Money, Money, Money”, “The Winner Takes it All”, and “Dancing Queen”, at rallies throughout the year. In an official statement, the group demanded that the campaign cease using their music, as well as requesting that all footage containing the hits also be taken down. Still, out of all the tracks he’s appropriated, “Money, Money, Money” feels like a pretty good fit for Trump.