In a recent controversy, Foo Fighters expressed their disapproval after their 1997 hit “My Hero” was played at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Arizona.
The event, which took place last Friday, was meant to welcome Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage after he announced his support for Trump in the upcoming November election. Despite claims from the Trump campaign that they had the necessary licensing to use the song, the Foo Fighters firmly denied giving their permission.
However, Stephen Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, then asserted via email to The Hill and a tweet that they were legally covered to use the track (as per Rolling Stone).
He provocatively used Foo Fighters’ song titles in his tweet to emphasise his point, stating, “It’s Times Like These facts matter, don’t be a Pretender.” This was accompanied by a link to an article in The Independent discussing the licensing issue.
The band responded by reiterating their stance, stating that they had not authorised the use of “My Hero” and would not have given permission if asked.
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and again, even if they had been, they would not have granted it,” a rep for the band said in a statement.
A rep for the Foo Fighters previously announced that the band would take “appropriate action” to prevent further unauthorised use of their music at Trump campaign events. Furthermore, the band pledged to donate any royalties received from the song’s play at the rally to the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaigns.
This incident adds to a growing list of musicians who have objected to the use of their songs by the Trump campaign without permission. Just last week, Beyoncé issued a cease-and-desist over the unauthorised use of her song “Freedom” in a Trump campaign video, a track notably used by Kamala Harris as her unofficial campaign song.
