A major aspect of Donald Trump's presidential election campaigns, in both his 2016 campaign, and his 2020 campaign, are his prominent and frequent political rallies. Below are musicians who have voiced opposition to their music being used by Trump at his rallies, or for other political purposes, and the actions they took in response to their music’s use.
Adele stated that Trump did not have permission to use her songs "Rolling in the Deep" or "Skyfall" at Trump political rallies in 2016, and requested that her music not be used in any political campaigning. [1] [2] Adele later endorsed Trump's 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, instead. [3]
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith demanded that Trump stop playing "Dream On" at Trump's political rallies in 2015. [4] In 2018, it happened again, with Tyler demanding Trump stop using another song, "Living on the Edge", at his political rallies. A cease and desist letter was sent both times. [5]
George Harrison's estate denounced the use of the Harrison-written Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun" after the Trump campaign used the song to introduce Ivanka Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention. [6] The estate noted that Trump did not have permission to use this song, but that they would consider allowing him to use the Harrison song "Beware of Darkness". [6]
Bruce Springsteen opposed Trump using his song "Born in the U.S.A." at Trump's political rallies in 2016. [7] Rather than take legal action, he openly announced his support for Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, and campaigned in support of her. As a result, the song would instead get booed every time Trump would play it at rallies from that point on. [8]
John Fogerty, the frontman for the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, has opposed Trump's use of the band's song "Fortunate Son". In October 2020, Fogerty announced he was sending a cease-and-desist letter to Trump, saying that Trump "is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse". [9] Fogerty noted that it was quite the opposite—the song's lyrics were meant as a critique of how wealthy people are unfairly able to avoid the draft or pay their share of taxes. [10] Later on, he openly endorsed Trump's 2020 challenger, Joe Biden, by launching his own TikTok account following Trump's defiance of the cease and desist order over usage of his song, "Fortunate Son". [11]
Eddy Grant issued a copyright complaint over Trump's use of his song "Electric Avenue" in a political video he tweeted. The video was taken down, and a lawsuit and cease and desist followed. [12]
Elton John has opposed the use of his songs "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer" at Trump political rallies in 2016. [13] John noted that while their political views were very different, it was not personal. [14] He believed that, as a British musician, his music had no place in US politics at all, and that someone like Ted Nugent was more appropriate. [15]
Everlast, the House of Pain rapper, issued a cease and desist order over Trump's use of his song "Jump Around" during his campaign rallies, and he launched a profanity-laced tirade against him. [16]
Axl Rose opposed the use of Guns N' Roses cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings song "Live and Let Die" in a meatpacking plant where Trump refused to take the COVID-19 pandemic precaution of wearing a mask. In response, Rose created shirts with the phrase "Live N’ Let Die With COVID 45", with all proceeds going to the MusiCares charity. [17] [18]
On May 28, 2022, the family of Isaac Hayes blasted Trump for using the Sam & Dave song "Hold On, I'm Comin'" at a National Rifle Association convention: "The estate and family of Isaac Hayes DID NOT approve and would NEVER approve the use of “Hold on I’m coming” by Sam and Dave by Donald Trump at this weekends @NRA convention. Our condolences go out to the victims and families of #Uvalde and mass shooting victims everywhere." [19] Song co-writer David Porter also objected to the use of the song, stating on Twitter, "Someone shared with me Donald Trump used the song “Hold On I’m Coming” for a speaking appearance of his. Hell to the No! I did Not and would NOT approve of them using the song for any of his purposes! I also know Isaac’s estate wouldn’t approve as well! #Memphis #Music #Grammy" [20]
English songwriter and former The Smiths member Johnny Marr, opposed the use of the song "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" at a 2024 rally without permission. Upon finding out about it, he responded "I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now." [21] [22]
On August 28, 2020, the Cohen estate issued a statement criticizing Trump's unauthorized use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the Republican National Convention. They said they specifically rejected permission for its use, and would have only realistically considered approving Cohen's song "You Want It Darker". [23]
On July 18, 2020, Trump retweeted a fan-made re-election campaign video ad featuring a cover of Linkin Park's "In the End". Twitter received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice from the band's management company, Machine Shop Entertainment, and the video was pulled. Linkin Park followed up with a response, "Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music. A cease and desist has been issued." The late lead singer, Chester Bennington, had before called Trump a "greater threat to the USA than terrorism." [24] [25]
Family members of Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti protested the use of his recording of "Nessun Dorma" at Trump's rallies (which ends with the chant "I will win".) Pavarotti's widow and three daughters objected, stating that Trump's views on immigration were incompatible with Pavarotti's efforts as United Nations Messenger of Peace, which had raised large amounts of money for the support of immigrants and refugees. [26]
Neil Young has indicated multiple times that he does not approve of the use of his song "Rockin' in the Free World" at Trump rallies, which has been done since 2015. [27] Young conceded he had no legal grounds to oppose the song's use, but in 2020 he wrote a scathing open letter directed at Trump that stated: "Every time 'Rockin’ in the Free World' or one of my songs is played at your rallies, I hope you hear my voice. Remember it is the voice of a tax-paying U.S. citizen who does not support you. Me." [28] He later objected to the use of the song in Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore on the Fourth of July of the same year. [29]
Nickelback indicated that they did not support Trump's use of their song "Photograph". When Trump tweeted a doctored version of the song and music video on Twitter, the band's record label, Warner Music Group, issued a copyright claim, leading to the video being taken down. [30] Sales of the real version of the song jumped over 500% in the days afterwards despite the takedown. [31]
Nico Vega criticized a "fight for Trump" video, shared by President Donald Trump on twitter 20 December 2020, for using their song "Beast". "To be clear, Nico Vega does not support the use of our song "Beast" in Trump's recent video, We have love and empathy for all people of all backgrounds, races and beliefs, and we feel sick how all Americans' fears and vulnerabilities have been exploited over the last four years, We will not participate in a form of propaganda that pits Americans against one another." [32] On December 23, 2020 Billboard magazine reported that Nico Vega dropped a "Cease and Desist" Playlist on Spotify which listed all the songs and bands who had opposed Trump's use of their songs at rallies or in campaign videos. [33]
Ozzy Osbourne criticized Trump's use of his iconic song "Crazy Train" in a video highlighting the technical difficulties in the first Democratic presidential primary debate, stating with his wife Sharon Osbourne in a joint statement: "[W]e are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourne’s music in political ads or in any political campaigns." [34]
Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco demanded that Trump stop using his song "High Hopes" at Trump's political rallies in 2020, releasing a brief statement of "Donald Trump represents nothing we stand for...Dear Trump Campaign, F--- you. You're not invited. Stop playing my song. No thanks, Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco & company". [35]
Pharrell Williams opposed Trump's playing of his song "Happy" at rallies, including one held just hours after the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Williams' legal team threatened legal action, claiming its use without permission copyright and trademark infringement. [36]
Phil Collins's legal team sent a cease and desist order to Trump's campaign after the unauthorized use of "In the Air Tonight" at a rally at Des Moines, Iowa on October 14, 2020. [37]
The estate of Prince condemned Trump's use of his song "Purple Rain" at a rally in 2019. In response, the estate shared a letter from the Trump campaign from 2018 that had promised not to use Prince's music, because they had not received the rights from the estate, showing they had official documentation of acknowledgement that they did not have the rights to play the music. [38]
Brian May of Queen opposed Trump's use of "We Are the Champions" as his "theme song" while walking out to the Republican National Convention in 2016. He denounced its use as unauthorized, where permission was neither sought nor given, and that they were looking at taking further steps should the band's music be used any further by his campaign. [39]
R.E.M. has opposed the use of their music by Trump on a number of occasions. In 2015, vocalist Michael Stipe voiced opposition of "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" at Trump rallies, stating "Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign." [40] In 2019, bassist Mike Mills spoke out about Trump's promotion of a video containing the unauthorized use of the song "Everybody Hurts", urging Twitter to take it down, which it eventually did. [41] Later in 2020, Mills threatened legal action over using "Everybody Hurts" and "Losing My Religion" at Trump's rallies. [42]
Rihanna threatened legal action against Trump for the unauthorized use of her song "Don't Stop the Music" at Trump rallies in 2018. Her legal team released a comment that Rihanna has no association or affiliation with Trump, and she did not support his campaign. [43]
Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones oppose Trump's use of the song "You Can't Always Get What You Want". The band sent him cease and desist letters about its use in 2016, and upon Trump using it again in June 2020, the band teamed up with Broadcast Music, Inc. to threaten legal action if the song is used again. [44] [45]
The estate of Sinéad O'Connor and Chrysalis Records oppose Trump's use of her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U", at a 2024 rally. The estate explained that "it is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way." [46]
The family of Tom Petty denounced Trump's use of the song "I Won't Back Down" at political rallies in 2020. [47] The family sent the campaign a cease and desist letter, stating that the song was written for the "underdog" and "common man", and that Trump did not represent either. [48]
In June 2020 Village People frontman Victor Willis asked that Trump no longer use any of his music at his rallies, particularly the songs "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A." [49] After a cease-and-desist order by Willis, usage continued. Scorpio Music, Village People's label, are considering legal action against Trump for using "Y.M.C.A." at his rallies. [50]
Following a political ad for the Trump campaign using the song "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes in October 2016, lead singer Jack White and his former wife and drummer, Meg White, issued a statement that they did not give permission for Trump to use their music, nor were they implying their support for him. The record label Third Man Records asked Trump not to use The White Stripes, or any of Third Man Records material for his rallies. [51] [52] In the weeks following, they also released merchandise referencing their final studio album Icky Thump , renaming it "Icky Trump", and including altered lyrics related to the ideologies of Trump and his supporters. [53]
John Cameron Fogerty is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter. CCR had nine top-10 singles and eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
A cease and desist letter is a document sent by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the other party continues the alleged unlawful activity. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not discontinue specified conduct, or take certain actions, by deadlines set in the letter, the letter's recipient may be sued. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. A cease and desist letter issued by a government entity, called a cease and desist order, is "a warning of impending judicial enforcement".
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.
"Rockin' in the Free World" is a song by Canadian-American singer, musician and songwriter Neil Young, released on Young's seventeenth studio album Freedom (1989). Two versions of the song bookend the album, similarly to "Hey Hey, My My " from Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, one of which is performed with a predominantly acoustic arrangement, and the other predominantly electric. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Rockin' In the Free World" number 214 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time"
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" before dropping a place the following year.
"We're Not Gonna Take It" is a song by American rock band Twisted Sister from their album Stay Hungry. It was first released as a single on April 27, 1984. The Stay Hungry album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984.
"Fortunate Son" is a song by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on the band's fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys in October 1969. It was previously released as a single, together with "Down on the Corner", in September 1969. It soon became an anti-war movement anthem and an expressive symbol of the counterculture's opposition to U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War and solidarity with the soldiers fighting it. The song has been featured extensively in pop culture depictions of the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement.
"Right Now" is a song written by the group Van Halen for their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The song reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change.
"Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 album Uh-Huh on Riva Records. It reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. "Pink Houses" was ranked No. 447 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Icky Thump" is a song recorded by the American alternative rock band the White Stripes. Written by Jack White, it was the first single released from their sixth and final album of the same name. The song is a heavy garage-rock piece whose lyrics challenge anti-immigration pundits for their hypocrisy. It was recorded and mixed at Nashville's Blackbird studio.
"I Won't Back Down" is a song by American rock musician Tom Petty. It was released in April 1989 as the lead single from his first solo album, Full Moon Fever. The song was co-written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, his writing partner for the album. It reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks, starting the album's road to multi-platinum status.
"Only in America" is a song recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was released in June 2001 as the second single from the album Steers & Stripes. Kix Brooks, one-half of the duo, co-wrote the song with Don Cook and Ronnie Rogers. "Only in America" was also the second of three consecutive Number One hits from that album, reaching its peak on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts for the week of October 27, 2001.
"Donald Trump" is a song by American rapper Mac Miller, released as the only single from his mixtape Best Day Ever (2011). The melody, which is played throughout the song, is sampled from "Vesuvius" by Sufjan Stevens. The song's music video was uploaded to YouTube on March 3, 2011, while the single was released digitally on May 17, 2011.
"The Snake" is a song written and first recorded by civil-rights activist Oscar Brown in 1963; it became a hit single for American singer Al Wilson in 1968. The song tells a story similar to Aesop's fable The Farmer and the Viper and the African American folktale "Mr. Snake and the Farmer".
"Make America Great Again" is an American political slogan and movement popularized by Donald Trump during his successful 2016 presidential campaign, with "MAGA" also used to refer to Trump's political base, or to an individual or group of individuals from within that base. The slogan became a pop culture phenomenon, seeing widespread use and spawning numerous variants in the arts, entertainment and politics, being used by both those who support and those who oppose Trump's presidency. Used by Ronald Reagan as a campaign slogan in his 1980 presidential campaign, it has since been described as a loaded phrase. Multiple journalists, scholars, and commentators have called the slogan racist, regarding it as dog-whistle politics and coded language.
USA Freedom Kids, sometimes referred to as USA Freedom Girls, are an American girl group known for performing their song "Freedom's Call" at a Donald Trump rally in Pensacola, Florida in January 2016, during his presidential campaign. While the group's manager formerly supported Trump, he claims that the group has never been political, and that they had offered to perform at Hillary Clinton's rallies. In 2020, the group supported the election of Joe Biden, re-recording their most known song.
Multiple songs, albums, bands and performances have referenced Donald Trump or his various brands, including Trump Tower, his TV show, his hotel chain, and his casinos. While recent songs refer to Trump's campaign, election, and tenure as President of the United States, more than 200 songs refer to Trump prior to his campaigns for president. Most earlier references to Trump in lyrics revolve around his status as a business tycoon, but then shifted toward a stance more critical of his politics as he attempted to attain public office. With his victory in the 2016 presidential election, Trump's prominence in hip-hop music has been likened to that of Ronald Reagan's in hardcore punk during the 1980s.
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Nicholas Joseph Fuentes is an American far-right political commentator and live streamer who is known for his white supremacist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and Islamophobic views. A former YouTuber, his channel was permanently terminated in February 2020 for violating YouTube's hate speech policy. Fuentes has promoted conspiracy theories against Jewish people, has denied the Holocaust, and advocates for the genocide of Jews. Fuentes identifies as a member of the incel movement, as a supporter of authoritarian government, and as a Catholic integralist and Christian nationalist.
MeidasTouch was a liberal American political action committee formed in March 2020 with the purpose to stop the reelection of Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election. The SuperPAC aligned with the Democratic Party in the 2020 United States presidential election, the 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia, and the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia.