Former President Donald Trump seemingly considers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. his hero as he played the Foo Fighters’ 1997 anthem “My Hero” to welcome him to the stage at a rally Friday, Aug 23 in Glendale, Arizona, after the independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign and endorsed the Republican nominee. However, the band claims that Trump didn’t ask for permission.
Foo Fighters didn’t give Donald Trump permission
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it,” a spokesperson tells Billboard of the unauthorized usage.
Furthermore, “appropriate actions are being taken” against the campaign, the spokesperson continues, and any royalties received as a result of this usage will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
“I don’t think too many of you people have heard of him, he’s very low-key,” Trump said before the chorus of “My Hero” began blaring as Kennedy joined Trump onstage and a row of flash pots went off. “He’s a very low-key person, but he’s highly respected. He is a great person. I’ve known him for so long. For the past 16 months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
In addition to his, in a response to being asked by the X account with the name Wu-Tang Is for the Children if the band “let Trump use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RKJ Jr. on stage,” the Foo Fighters account simply replied, “No,” and then posted the exchange, adding, “Let us be clear.” They’ve also threatened to sue Trump.
Let us be clear. pic.twitter.com/gexHWjPMYh
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 24, 2024
Let us be clear. pic.twitter.com/gexHWjPMYh
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 24, 2024
The Trump campaign has faced backlash for using music without permission for the second time this week and the third time this month. On Tuesday (Aug. 22), a 13-second video was posted on social media showing Trump stepping off a plane with Beyoncé’s “Freedom” playing in the background. This occurred after Trump’s opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, had already been using the song with permission for weeks.
Cheung had posted a 13-second video on his X account of footage of Trump stepping off a plane as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” played. The video arrived long after his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, had been using the song (with permission) for weeks.
On Wednesday (Aug. 21), Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher sent a cease-and-desist notice to Trump’s campaign over its use of “Freedom.” Later that evening, the video was deleted from Cheung’s X account.
On August 11, lawyers representing the Isaac Hayes estate filed a notice of copyright infringement and warned of additional legal action against the Trump campaign. This was due to the unauthorized use of Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at multiple Trump rallies between 2022 and 2024.
