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We can add the Foo Fighters to the ever-growing list of musicians that don’t want the Trump campaign using their songs at his hate rallies. Two weeks ago, the family of Isaac Hayes joined Celine Dion at the cease-and-desist party, requesting $3 million in licensing fees for the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” which has been played at Trump’s rallies going back to 2022. Last week, after allegedly negotiating his way towards a cabinet position, RFK Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed America’s most hated reality TV star. On Friday, RFK Jr. appeared on stage with Trump to give his endorsement. Trump is an old school New Yorker that values what old money has to say, and he looked like the cat that caught the canary while announcing that a Kennedy was endorsing him.
The song that Kennedy came out to was the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero.” On social media, people were very quick to ask the band if they had given the campaign permission to use their song. They responded with a very obvious “no” and let it be known that they planned on donating any royalties made off of the campaign’s usage right to VP Kamala Harris’ campaign.
The Foo Fighters are clarifying that they didn’t approve of one of their songs being played during a Donald Trump rally in Arizona.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the presidential race and the independent politician is now backing the former Republican president. During a rally in Gilbert in the swing stage, the song “My Hero” was played, and now the band, fronted by Dave Grohl, is breaking their silence.
“Let us be clear,” the band’s social media account on X/Twitter posted.
The band shared a screenshot of an exchange with another X user asking the Foo Fighters if they had let Trump use their song.
“No,” the Foo Fighters replied.
A Foo Fighters representative said in a statement to EW, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.” The band also noted that they would donate royalties generates from Trump’s usage of the song to Kamala Harris’ campaign.
I actually watched this Foo Fighters thing unfold in real time over Twitter, and it made me laugh. So many people have asked Trump to stop playing their music over the years, and during the DNC, the Democrats were able to get the rights to play 60+ songs, including the ones played during that awesome roll call. What a flex.
But yeah, I don’t know what to say at this point. There’s no self-awareness. Republicans will continue to whine and cry about how they’re the real victims here without ever stopping to think about just why artists (and just regular people in general) don’t want to be associated with their sh-tty cult and backwards beliefs. At this point, I really do think that the Trump campaign doesn’t give a sh-t. They want the Hollywood liberal elites to come after them so they can keep the grift up. Good for the Foo Fighters for donating the royalties to VP Harris’ campaign. I love that! That’s how you do it.
Let us be clear. pic.twitter.com/gexHWjPMYh
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 24, 2024
Lmao, if they keep doing this, it will drain their campaign money.
the only thing they’re using the campaign funds is to siphon it to Trump for legal fees
I read an article that the Felon is siphoning off campaign money for his businesses, just like last time.
The money is actually going DIRECTLY to Trump – I saw the same article that @Stella saw and also the documentary and Trump is basically making BANK off his campaign and by endorsing Senators left right and centre.
He’s always been in this for the moola.
He’s going to end up bankrupting the RNC.
That’s a shame 😀
That would be a shame if he bankrupted the RNC. Melamia was probably expecting them to buy her book.
Honestly, at this point I think anyone foolish enough to donate money to Donald Trump deserves to be taken to the cleaners.
I honestly believe that Trump campaign handlers are using songs without permission to get free publicity. To them using songs illegally makes them appear as brave and unafraid of the backlash. That is why Trump used AI of Taylor Swift endorsing him. He knows he will get attention from the media. It works every time.
I think the timing of the faked Swift endorsement was in hopes that there would be so much talk about it that it diverted attention from the DNC convention. He failed in that regard. He’s publicly stated that he didn’t make the graphic he just shared it so, sadly, that may make him legally in the clear
I agree. So Dave’s move makes perfect sense. If Taytay does not endorse Kamala by Oct, I will never defend her, regardless of being a high achieving woman in men’s world.
Mil, TS endorsed Biden/Harris on 10/7/2020. She may endorse about the same time as she did last time.
My decades long crush on David Grohl can safely continue 😍
You know what I really love about this? It was mentioned in most major outlet articles about RFK Jr’s endorsement of Trump, as in, the brainworm says you should vote for TFG but the Foo Fighters really hate him and here’s why, and here’s all the other musicians that hate Trump! Any good they thought was coming from the use of that song is canceled out by the reminder of how many cool people hate Trump.
Dave is a good dude.
Don’t understand these Trumpers. There’s plenty of right-wing musicians out there who would gladly license their music to them, e.g. Kid Rock, Azealia Banks, most male country artists. Leave the Foo Fighters out of it.
They use music from left wing singers/bands to stir up controversy. They want to look like bad asses who dare to challenge the other side. Trick is old and it works.
That’s exactly it. Republicans thrive off rage bait of any kind they know their supporters also love it. The Republicans love self-victimizing themselves for any of their manufactured slights.
There are plenty of real issues to rebel against. But since the Republicans don’t want to actually deal with it since they are ones who caused most of them. The Republicans would rather manufacture fake issues.
Right? I totally don’t understand why they don’t just put that lynching song they are so proud of on loop. Seems right on brand for them. Or maybe some of those lyrics would remind people of what they did to police officers on January 6th. In any event, plenty of klan members who play guitar would love to have their crap played at these hate rallies.
Yeah, but all that right-wing music is awful. 🤣
I was coming here to say the same thing.
All their music sucks.
How dumb is his campaign? The Foo Fighters have notoriously played at the DNC and fundraiser for Obama.
The Isaac Hayes estate is suing him for 3 million. His campaign ignored them
At this point, I feel like Trump could use public domain music from composers who died centuries ago, and their spirits would respond to some random teenaged girls at a sleepover with a Ouija board: “T-E-L-L T-R-U-M-P T-O F-U-C-K O-F-F”.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Beethoven appearing like a jedi ghost and slapping the crap out of the Orange Menace would be priceless 😆
You just made my entire Monday with this comment. (And only hope that Ludwig would be cursing in German the entire time.)
LMAO!!! I love this!
Hilarious!
this was meant as a reply to Miranda #6
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Just imagine the ghost of Ludwig van Beethoven scaring a kid with an Ouija board, annoucing his appearance with the first bars of his 5th Symphony (aka The Fate Symphony) — known as the fate knocking at the door motif — because they’d been using the chorus, Ode to Joy, of his 9th Symphony…
I’ve commented the same thing before reading your comment!! Great minds think alike 😄😚
This continued use of music without licensing and permission just is one more way the GOP broadcast they dont Give A F F about rights, for anyone. Not individuals, not for profit organizations that are Not Them. Some parts of the old school GOP in years past might have fought to protect intellectual property rights, and prevent ‘government’ entities from taking/appropriating stuff without permission and compensation.
No more. Trump and the MAGA is a greedy, self-centered bottomless pit of trash that consumes anything it can and tramples on, destroys everything.
Do any of the musicians actually sue him though? That’s what I want to know. They just say, “he didn’t license that,” but no one seems to take legal action? Am I right about that?
Ugh, good luck collecting the royalties, though – every penny is likely going to pay Agent Orange’s hefty legal fees.
And I hadn’t thought of it until reading these comments, but of course this behaviour fits right in with the MAGA platform of them feeling entitled to doing whatever the hell they want to other people, whether it’s their music or their bodies. All they know how to do is take.
The republicans do this every election cycle. They use unauthorized music and get dinged for it. But they don’t care or respect the artists. Since the moment is over and you can’t put the cat back in the bag. It’s like they are gleeful about stealing music, like an election….
You’d think they would feel shame at stealing music from Artists whose lifestyle and politics they despise.
They don’t care about that they just want the energy of the music and the soundbite. I mean Ronald Reagan used Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA without having a clue it was the most anti-American song about abandoning Vietnam soldiers returning home at the time.
Republicans just liked the beat and the tag line. Thinking it’s a song about celebrating patriotism. The republicans never let the truth get in the way of a good lie.
Shame? As if!
@Flamingo: That cracks me up — the number of people who don’t understand that song. Springsteen psyched them into some anthem rock about evil politicians, and they don’t even know.
Yes, drain the quick sand
“My Hero.” BAHAHAHA! He really does see himself as some sort of hero. Pathetic.
There certainly are enough MAGA artists, between Kid Rock and a bunch of country artists, so why doesn’t Drumpf/GOP use their music? Oh, probably because they would expect to get paid and there wouldn’t be any PR out of it.
I wonder how much of it is based on the artists’ political leanings and how much is based on simply asking proper permission/paying for the rights? I’m thinking most of it is probably political, but I am kinda curious if the answers for Trump might be slightly different if he ever did go through proper channels.