The Foo Fighters were quick to object when former President Donald Trump introduced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the song "My Hero" at a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday. The song ultimately served as the backdrop of Kennedy's public endorsement of Trump's bid for a return to the White House.
The use of the song at the Trump rally was brought to the band's attention by the X account Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids), which included a video of the song being played along with the following caption:
"Hey, [Foo Fighters] did you let Trump use "My Hero" to welcome RFK Jr. on stage?"
You can see the post below.
The band only needed one word to settle the matter:
"No."
You can see the band's response below.
To underscore its point, the band's members shared a screenshot of their response via their official X account, saying:
"Let us be clear."
You can see the band's post below.
In a statement shared with Billboard by a spokesperson, the Foo Fighters reaffirmed their disapproval of Trump's use of the song and explained that they would donate any royalties they get from the event to the Harris-Walz campaign:
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it. Appropriate actions are being taken against the [campaign]… Any royalties received as a result of this usage will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.”
People loved the band's response and piled on with criticism of Trump.
Multiple musicians have spoken out over the unauthorized use of their songs during Trump rallies.
Singer Rihanna won a legal victory over Trump in 2018 after she, through BMI—her performing rights company—informed the then-President he could no longer use her music at his rallies.
The singer took action after a Washington Post reporter shared that her music was "blaring" at a rally in Tallahassee, Florida. Rihanna responded, “Not for much longer" before adding neither she "nor [her] people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies.”
Similarly, the estate of the late Tom Petty sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump after he used Petty's song "I Won't Back Down" during a rally. Petty's family said Trump "was in no way authorized" to use it "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind."
Earlier this year, the estate of the late Sinéad O'Connor, along with her label Chrysalis Records, issued a statement condemning Trump's use of the late singer's iconic rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U" during campaign rallies in Maryland and North Carolina.
The statement released to Variety expressed "outrage" at the unauthorized use of her song by Trump, whom O'Connor had referred to as a "biblical devil" and a "Satanist" in a 2020 interview with Hot Press. Her estate said it is "no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way."
