The Foo Fighters are the latest music group to clash with former President Donald Trump’s campaign over unauthorized use of their music. The dispute arose after Trump played the band’s hit “My Hero” at a rally in Arizona on Friday.
A spokesman for the Foo Fighters said CBS News on Saturday: “The Foo Fighters were not asked for permission, and if they were, they would not have given it.” The band went even further, stating that all royalties earned from the Trump campaign’s use of the song would be donated to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.
The incident occurred as Trump welcomed former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at the event in Arizona. Kennedy had previously announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and his subsequent support of Trump. The Republican candidate praised Kennedy and said he would “have a tremendous impact on this campaign.”
In response to queries on social media platform X, the Foo Fighters account responded emphatically “no” when asked if they had allowed Trump to use “My Hero” to greet Kennedy on stage. The account later shared this exchange, adding, “Let’s get this straight.”
This incident is the latest in a series of conflicts between the Trump campaign team and various musicians over the unauthorized use of their songs.
Earlier this week, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chueng posted a video on X showing the former president disembarking from a plane to the soundtrack of Beyonce’s “Freedom.” Billboard reported that the singer’s record label and music producer immediately sent a cease and desist letter, after which Cheung removed the video.
On August 11, the estate of the late soul singer Isaac Hayes threatened legal action against the Trump campaign over the continued use of Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at rallies. The estate demanded $3 million in royalties and cited 134 unauthorized uses of the song at campaign events since 2022.
At the same time, representatives for Canadian singer Celine Dion said the use of her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a recent rally was “unauthorized” and did not have her permission. Dion’s team added a pointed comment to their statement: “And really, THAT song?”
