The Foo Fighters have denied allowing former President Donald Trump to use their song at a rally with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday night.
At a press conference on Friday, Kennedy Jr. announced that he would suspend his presidential campaign and endorse Donald Trump. “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to victory,” Kennedy said. “I cannot in good conscience ask my staff and volunteers to continue working so many long hours or ask my donors to continue giving if I cannot honestly tell them that I have a real path to the White House.”
Later that day, Trump invited RFK Jr. onstage during a rally in Arizona, and Kennedy joined Trump onstage to sing the Foo Fighters’ anthem “My Hero.”
However, the rock band denied ever allowing the Trump campaign to use their song, providing a one-word response to X-user @WUTangKids when asked if the band had given Trump permission to use “My Hero” to introduce RFK Jr.
“No,” replied the band, whose founder Dave Grohl had previously called Trump a “huge moron.”
The band later shared a screenshot of the response on their main account, adding: “Let’s get this straight.”
A spokesman for the band said: Billboard: “Foo Fighters were not asked for permission, and if they were, they would not have given it.” The spokesperson said that “appropriate action” would be taken against the campaign and that any royalties generated from the use of the song would be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
Newsweek The Trump team asked for comment via email.
This is the second time this week – and the third time this month – that Trump’s campaign has clashed with artists for using their music without permission.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Earlier this week, Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign for using her song “Freedom” in a 13-second video posted to Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung’s X account showing the former president getting off a plane. The post was later deleted.
Kamala Harris had been using the song with permission for weeks.
Previously, lawyers for Isaac Hayes’ estate had filed a copyright infringement complaint and threatened legal action against the Trump campaign team for using Hayes’ “Hold On, I’m Coming” at several Trump rallies between 2022 and 2024 without permission.
Trump’s history of using “unauthorized” music
Meanwhile, other artists have also taken steps to prevent Trump from using their music at his rallies. This includes Celine Dion, who spoke out against the use of her song “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally in Montana earlier this month.
“Today, Céline Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance and image of Céline Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” said a statement posted on Dion’s X account.
“This use is not authorized in any way and Céline Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement continued. At the end there was a question for the Trump campaign team: “… And really, THIS song?”
Artists such as Adele, Neil Young, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, as well as Johnny Marr, Sinéad O’Connor, Pharrell Williams and the estates of Tom Petty, Prince and David Bowie have also objected to Trump’s use of their music at rallies.
Legal view
“The unauthorized use of songs during rallies or in political campaigns is extremely concerning for artists because it can be misconstrued as the artist’s support of a candidate and his or her positions,” said Larry Iser, managing partner of the law firm KHIKS Newsweek last week.
He added that if political campaigns use artists’ songs without permission, their lawyers should send a letter to rally organizers warning them that it is “not OK to use the songs.”
“Artists should write to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) or the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers requesting that they remove their song. They should also have their legal representatives send cease and desist letters to the political organizations requesting immediate action and advising them of the legal consequences if they do not comply.”
“It is also worthwhile to publicize such actions on social media to reach the public,” he said.
Iser said artists should also “consider suing the campaign under the Lanham Act for privacy and false advertising rights,” which are designed to prevent intellectual property theft.
Accordingly ConsequenceThe Trump campaign is covered by comprehensive ASCAP and BMI licenses.
