Former President Donald Trump has drawn the ire of another musical group for unauthorized use of their music. This time, it’s the Foo Fighters.
Trump played the band’s song “My Hero” when he welcomed former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a rally in Arizona on Friday. Kennedy had announced earlier in the day that he had dropped his campaign for the presidency and endorsed Trump.
The Republican Party’s nominee said Kennedy would “have a huge influence on this campaign.”
However, they cannot count on the support of the Foo Fighters.
Marcelo Hernandez / Getty Images
When commenting on the Trump campaign’s use of “My Hero,” a spokesperson for the band told CBS News on Saturday: “Foo Fighters were not asked permission and if they were, they would have not granted it.”
The spokesperson added that any royalties received as a result of the Trump campaign’s use of the song will be donated to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
Additionally, in response to a question if the band had “let Trump 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 us be clear.”
This marks the latest incident in which the Trump campaign has run afoul of using music without permission.
Earlier this week, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Chueng posted a 13-second video on his X account of the former president stepping off a plane while Beyonce’s “Freedom” played in the background, Billboard reported. A day later, the singer’s record label and music producer sent a cease-and-desist notice to the Trump campaign over the song’s use. Cheung took the video down.
On Aug. 11, lawyers for the Issac Hayes estate threatened to sue Trump if his campaign did not stop using the late soul singer’s song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies. A letter shared on social media from Hayes’ family demanded $3 million in licensing fees for the use of the song at Trump’s campaign events since 2022. According to Hayes’ family, the song has been played 134 times by the Trump campaign in the last two years.
At the same time, representatives for Canadian superstar Celine Dion said that the campaign’s use of her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a recent campaign rally was “unauthorized” and had not received her permission.
“And really, THAT song?” Dion’s representatives asked cheekily in a statement posted to the singer’s social media accounts.