Donald Trump‘s campaign has argued that it had the “license” to play Foo Fighters‘ ‘My Hero’ at a recent rally despite the band denying any authorisation – find out more below.
During Trump’s rally in Glendale, Arizona on Friday night (August 23), he welcomed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage after the independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign and threw his weight behind Trump, and ‘My Hero’ blazed over the speakers.
After the event, a Foo Fighters fan asked the band on X (formerly Twitter) whether they had given permission for the song’s use, to which the band responded: “No”. A spokesperson for the band later told Billboard: “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.”
Let us be clear. pic.twitter.com/gexHWjPMYh
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 24, 2024
They added that “appropriate actions are being taken” against the Trump team, and that any royalties received as a result of the usage would be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
Now, however, Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung has refuted Foo Fighters’ denial, telling The Hill in an email that they “have a license to play the song”. The Independent later reported that it had seen the relevant documents confirming Cheung’s claims of licensing rights.
Cheung has since taken to social media to decry the Foo Fighters’ post, using several of their song titles as puns: “It’s ‘Times Like These’ facts matter, don’t be a ‘Pretender’”.
It’s Times Like These facts matter, don’t be a Pretender. @foofighters https://t.co/yutdFMKH2X pic.twitter.com/l6d6BSnDw2
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) August 25, 2024
Foo Fighters have yet to respond to Cheung’s latest post.
This is just the latest development in the Trump campaign’s string of issues with copyrighted music. Just last week, Beyoncé reportedly threatened the former president with legal action for using her song ‘Freedom’ in a social media video.
That same song is now being used – with permission – by Kamala Harris as the official anthem of her presidential campaign.
The estate of Isaac Hayes have also threatened to sue for Trump’s use of ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, Celine Dion said she did not endorse his use of ‘My Heart Will Go On’, Johnny Marr “shut down” his use of The Smiths’ ‘Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want’, and Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Queen and The Animals have all made similar objections in the past.
Trump also addressed the controversy around his use of AI images of Taylor Swift “endorsing” his campaign last week, claiming, “I didn’t generate them”.
The posts included screenshots of women wearing shirts with the slogan ‘Swifties For Trump’, and an image of Swift made up like Uncle Sam, with the banner: “Taylor wants you to vote for Trump”.
“Somebody came out. They said, ‘Oh, look at this’. These were all made up by other people. AI is always very dangerous in that way,” Trump said. “It’s happening with me, too. They’re making — having me speak. I speak perfectly, I mean absolutely perfectly on AI, and I’m, like, endorsing other products and things. It’s a little bit dangerous out there.”
Foo Fighters, meanwhile, made headlines recent as an Irish hitchhiker who is supposedly responsible for the formation of the band in the mid-1990s was identified.