While Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is in the spotlight after confessing that he cheated on his wife, Donald Trump is back on the political stage in a heated presidential debate.
And a fierce rivalry is brewing between the two. Ahead of the heated debate between President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Foo Fighters have hit back with a cease and desist notice for the unauthorized use of their music.
In their quest for justice, the Foo Fighters are taking on Donald Trump for stealing their classic song without permission.
At a rally in Glendale, Arizona on August 23, President Trump gave a warm welcome to President Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy Jr. is hot on the heels of RFK Jr., who announced his support after dropping out of the race.
When he stepped into the spotlight, the Foo Fighters’ legendary anthem “My Hero” was played and there were flashy fireworks, which the band didn’t agree with. Asked on Twitter if they had given the green light to Trump’s event, the Foo Fighters replied curtly, “No.”
They further heated things up by sharing a Q&A snap and openly declaring, “To be clear, the Foo Fighters were not asked for permission and would not have given it if they had been asked.”
A spokesperson for the band told Billboard that “appropriate action will be taken” against President Trump for using their music without permission. They also said that all royalties from the campaign use will be donated to the Harris/Waltz campaign.
President Trump has repeatedly been criticized for playing artists’ music without their consent. The Foo Fighters’ complaint was the most recent, marking the third such incident this month.
On August 20, a video posted by Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang showed President Trump arriving in Michigan listening to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.”
In a surprising twist, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris used “Freedom” in a campaign ad in July with Beyoncé’s permission. The song has become synonymous with Harris’ campaign and was heard in her speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Following the unauthorized use of her song by the Trump campaign, Texas native Beyoncé immediately sent a cease and desist notice and the video was removed from Chan’s social media.
The estate of Isaac Hayes has cracked down on copyright infringement, filing a legal notice on August 11th and threatening further action against Donald Trump for using Hayes’ classic song “Hold On, I’m Coming” without permission between 2022 and 2024. It has been used at several rallies.
The list of artists, bands and estates upset that the former president used their music to make a political comeback is impressive, including Celine Dion, Guns N’ Roses, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, Adele and even Prince’s estate.