Trump campaign‘s rally playlist continues to turn heads and make noise for all the wrong reasons, brewing unneeded conflicts.
Former President Donald Trump‘s Friday night rally with Robert F Kennedy Jr in Arizona ended grooving up to the tunes of rock band Foo Fighters’ hit track “My Hero.” Although the ex-prez’s old political rival ultimately endorsed Trump after suspending his presidential campaign, the Friday stunt may just have made a Trump anti out of the music act.
User @WUTangKids took to X, formerly X, to investigate the issue and asked the members if they’d granted the Republican presidential candidate permission to use their song in Arizona. “Hey @foofighters, did you let Trump use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RFK Jr. on stage,” the user tweeted along with a video of the event’s TV coverage.
Foo Fighter seemingly confirms anti-Trump stance
Although it’s unclear who was on the other side of the official Foo Fighters X account, the user got their curt reply: “No.” The band shortly addressed the issue head-on by sharing the screenshot of this exchange on their profile along with the disclaimer: “Let us be clear.”
Furthermore, the group even issued a statement that was shared with Billboard. A spokesperson for the band said, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.”
The person issuing the statement said “appropriate actions are being taken” against the Trump campaign. Taking another swipe at the former president, they claimed that any royalties earned due to the Republican team’s move would be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
One way or another, the band made its political alignment and endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris loud and clear. (If that wasn’t clear enough by the group’s founder Dave Grohl‘s description of Trump: “massive jerk.”)
Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” played on as a welcoming gesture for RFK Jr during the rally. Trump also joined him onstage.
Trump campaign says it had permission to play ‘My Hero’
Contrary to the rock band’s statement, the Trump campaign also made its position clear. The former president’s team denied having used the song without permission. “We have a license to play the song. The Foo Fighters or their spokesperson have no idea what they are talking about and engaging in faux outrage,” communications director Steven Cheung told Newsweek.
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Other Trump-artist clashes over the same issue
This political-musical clash comes just weeks after the Trump campaign played Celine Dion’s iconic Titanic theme “My Heart Will Go On” at their Montana rally. The legendary songstress ultimately bashed the former president for her track’s “unauthorised” use.
“Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorised usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement hinted at the singer’s non-endorsement of the Republican politician.
Her team continued, “In no way is this use authorised, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use… And really, THAT song?”
The Dion song choice, in turn, followed the Trump campaign opting for Woodkid’s much-loved track “Run Boy Run” in a campaign video.
“Run Boy Run is a LGBT+ anthem written by me, a proud LGBT+ musician. How ironic. Once again, I never gave permission for the use of my music on that @realDonaldTrump film,” the French singer eventually wrote on X.
