Royalties for Kamala

Foo Fighters take on Trump – for Harris

"What are you going to do about it?" Trump seemed to imply. And Dave Grohl showed the ex-president in an amusing way.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/AP/Eduardo Verdugo, AP/Paul Sancya)

They were powerless to stop Donald Trump from playing their hit "My Hero" at his election rally without permission. But now the Foo Fighters are killing two birds with one stone: they are infuriating the ex-president with their action - and helping Kamala Harris at the same time.

Trump had played the song at a gig in Arizona when his new comrade-in-arms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came on stage. Whereupon frontman Dave Grohl and his band members Pat Smear, Josh Freese, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mandel and Rami Jafree made it clear on X that they did not agree.

Under the caption "To make it perfectly clear," the band posted a screenshot of a brief dialog with a fan who asked, "Hey Foo Fighters, did you allow Trump to use 'My Hero' to introduce RFK Jr." The short answer: "No!" Followed by a statement from the management: "The Foo Fighters were not asked. If they had, they wouldn't have given permission!"

"Whether you left-wing germs like it or not"
As a result, the Foo Fighters were bombarded by supporters of the ex-president on social media with malicious comments such as "Stupid move" or "Our hero does what he wants - whether you left-wing germs like it or not". A spokesperson from the Trump camp reminded the audience that everyone has the right to use songs for public appearances - as long as the royalties due are paid.

Royalties are now ringing in Kamala Harris' cash register
But now the Foo Fighters are hitting back and their action is sure to infuriate the ex-president. Thanks to the band, their payment for the licensing rights to the song will now end up in Kamala Harris' campaign coffers. A spokesperson for the rock group confirmed to "People" that the Trump royalties were transferred to Harris-Walz's campaign account.

Dave Grohl

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Eduardo Verdugo)

Beyoncé is said to have already called in her lawyers
The Foo Fighters are just the latest in a long list of music greats whose hits Trump has publicly adorned himself with without prior agreement. Most recently, he disembarked from his plane in Michigan on August 20 to the sounds of Beyoncé's "Freedom". The singer, who is a loyal supporter of the Democratic Party, is said to have already called in her lawyers over the matter.

Other examples of musicians who were against Trump campaigning with their songs:

• Adele complained in 2016 that Trump had used her hits "Skyfall" and "Rolling in the Deep" at campaign appearances without permission. The British singer later made it clear that she supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

• Aerosmiths frontman Steven Tyler was furious when Trump played "Dream On" at his events in 2015 and "Living on the Edge" in 2018. His lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter each time.
• A-ha were horrified when "Take On Me" blared out of the speakers at a Trump performance in October 2019. Band member Magne Furuholmen wrote in response: "Our song was never meant to be used by a campaign that wants to divide the world." A-ha wrote the song "This is Now America" shortly afterwards - a direct broadside against the Trump administration.
• George Harrison's heirs protested when Trump introduced his daughter Ivanka at the 2016 Republican Convention to the Beatles hit "Here Comes the Sun" (written by Harrison). With the postscript that Trump was welcome to use the Harrison song "Beware of Darkness".

• Bruce Springsteen was not pleased when Trump repeatedly took to the stage in 2016 to sing "Born in the U.S.A.". Instead of threatening legal action, the "Boss" publicly announced his support for Hillary Clinton and even campaigned for her.

• John Fogerty (frontman of Credence Clearwater Revival) sent a cease and desist letter to Trump's campaign team after the cult hit "Fortunate Son" was played in October 2020: "Trump is using my words and my voice for a message that I do not support." To then support Joe Biden on his TikTok.

Can't say much about Donald Trump.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/AP/Paul Sancya)

In 2016,Elton John demanded that Trump stop playing his songs "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer". On the grounds that, as a British musician, he should have no influence on US politics. Instead, he suggested only using the music of Trump supporters.

• Axl Rose had directly forbidden the Trump campaign from playing the Guns N' Roses hit"Sweet Child o' Mine" at a campaign stop in 2018 when asked. When the then president did it anyway, the singer scolded X: "This is where loopholes in music rights are abused for disgusting political purposes."

• Linkin Park's hit "In the End" appeared as a cover version in an online ad on Twitter for Trump's 2020 re-election. The band's lawyers were able to force the deletion of the clip on the social media platform and quoted dead frontman Chester Bennington, who had described Trump as "a bigger threat to the US than terrorism".

• Leonard Cohen's executor railed in a public statement that Trump had used the global hit "Hallelujah" at the Republican National Convention in August 2020 despite an explicit ban: "We offer that Trump use Leonard's song 'You Want It Darker' instead."

• Ozzy Osbourne almost spat out a bat's head in anger when Trump used his cult song "Crazy Train" in a negative ad against Joe Biden in 2020. The "Prince of Darkness" told the Trump campaign team that "my music has no place in politics".

Ozzy Osbourne

(Bild: EPA)

• Phil Collins' legal team sent a cease and desist letter to the Trump campaign in October 2020 after he used "In the Air Tonight" at an event in Iowa.

• Prince's executor strongly condemned the fact that Trump had launched a campaign appearance in 2019 to the sounds of "Purple Rain". He published a letter from 2018 in which the Trump campaign had promised not to use any Prince hits.

• On X,Queen's Brian May condemned the "unauthorized use" of the global hit "We Are the Champions", which Trump had chosen as his "theme song" in 2016: "We have protested against the use of our song before and will take legal action if this doesn't stop immediately!"

• Rihanna didn't hesitate and had her lawyers threaten an injunction after Trump played "Don't Stop The Music" at his events in 2018. RiRi's lawyers also stated on behalf of their client that she "has no connection or proximity to Trump and does not support his campaign".

• The Rollings Stones already defended themselves against Trump's use of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" with a cease-and-desist order in 2016. When he nevertheless had the hit played again at a campaign event in June 2020, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the music rights owner Broadcast Music Inc announced a lawsuit.