During a rally in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, Donald Trump brought out “special guest” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. using “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters as his walkout song and, to the surprise of no one, did not receive permission from the band to do so.
Earlier in the day on Friday, Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign — removing his name from ballots in key swing states — and endorsed Trump, popping up at the rally later to sing his praises as someone who he sees capable of making America “healthy again,” to the embarrassment of a vast majority of his family members, including his cousin, Jack Schlossberg, who slammed the endorsement in a post to social media, writing, “Never been less surprised in my life. Been saying it for over a year — RFK Jr. is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people — the easiest decision of all time just got easier.”
After X user @WUTangKids tagged the Foo Fighters in a video from the Trump/RFK Jr. rally including their song, asking, “Did you let Trump use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RFK Jr. on stage?” The band replied with a simple “No.”
A spokesperson for the band confirmed as much in a statement to Billboard, writing, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.” Adding that “appropriate actions are being taken” against the Trump campaign and that any royalties received from the unauthorized usage of the song will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
“My Hero” was the third single selected from the 1997 Foo Fighters’ album “The Colour and the Shape” and has often been thought by fans to have been written about Dave Grohl’s former Nirvana bandmate, Kurt Cobain, though the band has never confirmed this rumor.
During a 1999 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Grohl was asked about this directly, and said, “Errr, it’s kinda more about heroes that are ordinary,” adding that he has always looked up to “regular people.”
In the month of August alone, Trump has had action taken against him by Isaac Hayes’ estate for the unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming,” and Celine Dion’s management for the use of “My Heart Will Go On.”