The White Stripes have sued former President Donald Trump, alleging their song “Seven Nation Army” was used in a campaign video without their permission—joining a number of other artists who have told the former president to stop playing their hits.
Other artists have requested Trump's campaign to stop using their music, including ABBA and the Foo ... [+]
White Stripes members Jack White and Meg White, who filed the lawsuit Monday, accused Trump of copyright infringement by using “Seven Nation Army” to “burnish” his public image and generate financial support for his presidential campaign.
The song was used in a video posted by Trump on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 29 and featured footage of Trump boarding an aircraft as he traveled to campaign stops in Michigan and Wisconsin, the band alleges, though the video appears to have been deleted.
The two band members objected to Trump’s use of the song because they “vehemently oppose” policies adopted by Trump during his presidency and “those he has proposed for the second term he seeks,” according to the lawsuit.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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ABBA’s record label, Universal Music, told Reuters last month that no permission or license had been given to the Trump campaign for using several ABBA songs, including “The Winner Takes All” and “Money, Money, Money” at a July 27 rally. The Trump campaign denied it had no rights, telling Forbes it received a license to play ABBA music in an agreement with BMI and ASCAP, two music licensing groups. Earlier in August, the Foo Fighters said on social media they did not give Trump permission to play “My Hero”—which he played at his rally in Phoenix when welcoming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Celine Dion’s label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, also issued a statement last month after Trump played a video at a rally in Montana of Dion performing “My Heart Will Go On.” The statement said “in no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.” The family of late singer Isaac Hayes said on X it was suing the Trump campaign “for 134 counts of copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ at campaign rallies from 2022-2024.” In early September, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled the Trump campaign had to stop using Hayes’ song, but did not have to take down existing campaign or rally videos in which it could be heard, ABC News reported. The Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr, Sinéad O'Connor’s estate, Adele, Queen, Elton John and The Beatles have all opposed the use of their music at Trump rallies, too.
The Trump campaign has pushed back on at least one other musician’s claim that it didn’t have permission to use their material. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Hill the campaign had rights to the song “My Hero” and called out the Foo Fighters on X for saying they didn’t.
Politicians’ use of copyrighted music at campaign events is a contested issue as most take place in large venues that often have “public performance” music licenses, Pitchfork reported after similar issues arose between Trump and musicians in 2016. Those licenses are often with organizations like the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers or Broadcast Music, Inc. and allow campaigns to use millions of songs, though according to Pitchfork, campaigns also typically purchase their own license to ensure they can use the music where they need to and avoid running into licensing issues. Even if a campaign has a public performance license, it can still be sued by the artist using “right of publicity” laws, which are supposed to protect a public person's image, according to an ASCAP guide to using music in campaigns. Artists can use arguments based on the Lanham Act, which “covers confusion or dilution of a trademark” through unauthorized use, or false endorsement principles to sue, too.