With just a few short months until the US presidential election, it’s not unfair to say that Donald Trump isn’t exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to popular musicians who want to endorse him.
In fact, in the last few weeks alone, a number of artists have spoken out against the former president for featuring their music in his campaign videos or playing it at his rallies.
This is nothing new, though.
Over the years, plenty of singers and bands have hit back at Trump for using their music without permission.
Here’s a look at some of the most high-profile examples...
In August 2024, Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung shared a video of the Republican candidate accompanied by Beyoncé‘s song Freedom, which has become an anthem of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in the last few weeks.
Seemingly unhappy with her song’s usage, reports claimed that Beyoncé had issued the Trump campaign with a cease-and-desist letter, and it didn’t take long before the video in question disappeared from Cheung’s social media page without comment.
When Trump played Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On at a rally in August 2024, the Grammy winner responded with a blistering statement that made headlines the world over.
“In no way is this use authorised, and Céline Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” the statement said.
Alluding to the fact the song is most popular for its associations with Titanic, the statement concluded: “And really, THAT song?”
The family of the late Sinéad O’Connor were understandably upset after Nothing Compares 2 U was played at various campaign stops in March 2024.
“It is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness and decency towards her fellow human beings,” the Irish singer’s estate said.
“It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies. [It is] no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil’.”
Johnny Marr, best known for his work as lead guitarist in The Smiths, was suitably unimpressed to discover the group’s song Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want had been played at a Trump rally.
“I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now,” he tweeted.
The musician has been similarly critical when Conservative MPs have tried to align themselves with The Smiths’ music.
The Rolling Stones threatened to sue Trump back in 2020, after he used their songs at his election rallies in spite of cease-and-desist directives.
Their 1969 hit You Can’t Always Get What You Want was a frequent choice at Trump’s events, with the band confirming music rights organisation BMI had already notified the then-president’s campaign explaining that the unauthorised use of their songs would break its licensing agreement.
Prior to that, th Rollinge Stones had already complained about Trump using their music during his previous campaign in 2016.
Also in 2020, Village People’s lead singer Victor Willis asked the president to stop playing songs like Macho Man and Y.M.C.A. if he went through with threats to deploy the military on peaceful protesters in America.
Months later, Trump was seen dancing to Y.M.C.A. at a rally, with Victor telling BBC News: “I don’t endorse Trump, I’ve never endorsed Trump, nor has the Village People.”
When asked what he thought about Trump’s dancing, he laughed and added: “Donald Trump does what Donald Trump does. I’ve never seen him actually put his hands up and make the Y.M.C.A. He’s changed it to M.A.G.A. or something.”
Linkin Park sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump when he retweeted a campaign-style video featuring the group’s track In The End back in July 2020.
The pro-Trump video was posted on X (then still known as Twitter) by White House staff member Dan Scavino, which was then shared on the president’s page.
Making their stance explicitly clear, a message was then posted on the band’s Twitter page, which said: “Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorise his organisation to use any of our music. A cease-and-desist has been issued.”
X later told Sky News that they respond to “valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorised representatives”.
The family of the late Tom Petty issued a cease-and-desist order after his song I Won’t Back Down was used at a Trump rally in June 2020.
They said in a statement: “Trump was in no way authorised to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind.
“Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his to be used in a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.’’
The singer announced he was intending to sue Trump in August 2020 after one of his songs was played against his wishes during the president campaign rallies despite earlier warnings.
The copyright infringement complaint that was filed read: “This complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing.
“However, Plaintiff in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”
Prince’s estate hit out at the US president after Purple Rain was used at a rally in Minneapolis, the late singer’s home town, in October 2019.
The late singer’s song was played despite the Trump campaign having previously pledged not to do so a year earlier, following its use in the 2016 election race.
“The Prince estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs,” the estate wrote on Twitter, also sharing the letter the president’s representatives that confirmed it would not use Prince’s music “in connection with activities going forward”.
Beach Boys co-founders Brian Wilson and Al Jardine wanted fans to know they were not part of a fundraising effort for Trump featuring the current incarnation of the band.
In 2020, the Beach Boys performed at a Trump fundraiser in Newport Beach, California. However, that was the current touring version of the group led by Mike Love ― the band’s other surviving co-founder, who has often been at loggerheads with his old bandmates, a Trump supporter.
A spokesperson for Brian and Al told Variety at the time: “We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero. We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.”
In 2019, Sharon Osbourne blasted the US leader for using the Black Sabbath track Crazy Train in a campaign video, and making it clear that Trump was “forbidden” from using her husband Ozzy’s music in future videos or at his rallies.
She went on to suggest that tracks by Kanye West, Kid Rock or Ted Nugent – all of whom have publicly endorsed Trump in the past – might be more appropriate. musical choices for him
Rihanna issued a withering response after learning that her song Don’t Stop The Music was being played at a pro-Trump event in 2018.
She wrote on X: “Not for much longer… me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up!”
Adele took umbrage with Donald Trump during his 2016 election campaign, when Rolling In The Deep was used repeatedly at his rallies.
In a short but to-the-point statement, her spokesperson said: “Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning.”
Adele’s statement was somewhat more subdued than R.E.M., who were less-than-thrilled to learn that Trump had been blasting their tune, It’s The End Of The World As We Know It at his rallies prior to the 2016 election.
Frontman Michael Stipe issued a statement telling the then-presidential candidate to “go fuck himself”, making it clear he wanted nothing to do with his ideologies.
Steven Tyler sent Donald Trump a cease-and-desist letter when he first started using Dream On at his campaigns in 2015.
True to form, Trump responded on X that he’d already found a “better song” to replace Dream On, adding: “Steven Tyler got more publicity on his song request than he’s gotten in ten years. Good for him!”
If anyone was going to try and clumsily appropriate the message of We Are The Champions in their political campaign, it was going to be Donald Trump, right?
Guitarist Brian May assured one fan in 2016: “I will make sure we take what steps we can to dissociate ourselves from Donald Trump’s unsavoury campaign.”
However, in August 2020, the band admitted it had been “an uphill battle” to get the Trump campaign to stop using their songs.
Shortly after Celiné Dion’s immediately-iconic message to Trump, the family of Isaac Hayes – who died in 2008 – also took issue with the presidential hopeful for playing Hold On, I’m Comin’, a Sam & Dave song written by the singer and actor, at his rallies.
Isaac’s son, Isaac Hayes III, shared a legal letter on social media, revealing he and his family were planning to sue Trump for 134 counts of “copyright infringement”, and claiming they had previously requested multiple times that the Republican candidate not play Hold On I’m Comin’ at his rallies.
