Foo Fighters taking action against Trump campaign for song usage, donating royalties to Harris – Washington Examiner
The Foo Fighters, an alternative rock band, are taking legal action against Donald Trump’s campaign for the unauthorized use of their song “My Hero” during a rally in Arizona where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was introduced. The band’s spokesperson confirmed they did not grant permission for the song’s use, emphasizing that if asked, they would have denied it. As part of their response, the Foo Fighters will donate any royalties earned from the campaign’s use of the song to Kamala Harris’ election campaign. The Trump campaign, while asserting that they had a proper license to play the song, received backlash and scrutiny from various artists previously for similar unauthorized usages.
Foo Fighters taking action against Trump campaign for song usage, donating royalties to Harris
The Foo Fighters, an alternative rock band, are pursuing action against former President Donald Trump’s campaign for its unauthorized use of the band’s song, “My Hero.”
The campaign played the song at its Arizona rally while it introduced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage, who endorsed Trump just hours before.
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it,” a spokesperson told Billboard of the song’s usage. Furthermore, “appropriate actions are being taken” against the campaign, the spokesperson continued, and any royalties received from the song’s usage will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
The band made it apparent on their X account that they did not give the Trump campaign permission.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign but did not receive a response. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, denied that the song was played without permission.
“We have a license to play the song,” he told Newsweek. “The Foo Fighters or their spokesperson have no idea what they are talking about and engaging in faux outrage.”
Kamala’s Wins, an X account declaring itself the “largest online community supporting soon to be President Kamala Harris” celebrated the band’s actions against the Trump campaign.
“BREAKING: The Foo Fighters are suing Donald Trump over his unsolicited use of their song “My Hero”. The Foo Fighters have announced they will donate royalties received to Kamala Harris’ campaign,” they posted.
The Trump campaign has gotten into trouble with music artists several times this month. Cheung posted a video of Trump stepping off his plane to Beyonce’s “Freedom” song, which the Harris campaign has used several times with permission from the artist. The Trump campaign was sent a cease-and-desist notice before Cheung deleted the video on Wednesday.
On Aug. 11, lawyers for the Isaac Hayes estate filed a notice of copyright infringement and threatened additional legal action against the Trump campaign, alleging it used Hayes’s “Hold On, I’m Coming” at multiple rallies without authorization between 2022 and 2024.
Former Sen. John McCain‘s 2008 presidential campaign also used the Foo Fighters’ song repeatedly without permission, and the band responded by saying McCain shows “such little respect for creativity and intellectual property.” McCain’s campaign said they paid the proper royalties and used the song under blanket licensing, which does not require permission.
“My Hero” is regarded as one of the Foo Fighters’s biggest hits, reaching number six on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
RFK Jr. could be a hero to the Trump campaign. Kennedy endorsed Trump before the rally Friday and said he would drop out of several swing states in order to give more voting support to Trump. Some of Kennedy’s supporters have already said they’re voting for Trump.
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