By Rieley McDonnell, Newswire Intern

For almost a decade, musicians have been asking former president Donald Trump to stop using their songs at his rallies. From The White Stripes to Cèline Dion and Beyoncè, there is a long list of artists who are opposed to their music being used at his rallies.

After Trump used their song “Seven Nation Army” in a campaign video, The White Stripes filed a lawsuit against the former president. Their claim was that the Trump campaign violated federal copyright law, saying that he did not get a synchronization license to use their music in the advertisement. 

Cèline Dion said she did not endorse Trump or his use of her song from the movie “Titanic,” “My Heart Will Go On.” She also made a comment about how he wanted to use a song from a movie with a sinking ship.

Phil Collins sent Trump a cease and desist in 2020 for Trump’s use of the song “In the Air Tonight.” Collins felt that Trump was using the song in a way that trivialized the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additionally, Trump has used the songs “YMCA” and “Macho Man” by The Village People at his rallies for years. In 2020, The Village People founding member Victor Willis asked Trump to stop using these songs. In 2023, a cease and desist was sent to the campaign, and Willis threatened to sue if Trump did not stop using their music.

At a rally in July 2024, Trump played many of ABBAs’s songs, like “Dancing Queen”, and the band’s label demanded that the campaign not use their songs anymore.

Rihanna’s team sent the Trump team a cease and desist letter for his use of her 2007 song “Don’t Stop the Music.”

Issac Hayes’s estate filed a lawsuit on Sept. 3, 2024 for Trump’s use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming.”A judge put a block on Trump’s use of the song, but denied the request from the estate that any video with the song featured be taken down.

The Trump campaign used the Foo Fighters song “My Hero” at a rally in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump. When asked, the band said that they did not approve the use of the song. They also said any royalties generated from the use of it at the rally would go towards the Harris-Walz campaign.

The Rolling Stones threatened legal action if Trump did not stop using their song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” They have sent cease and desist letters in the past, which have been ignored by Trump.

Beyoncė sent Trump a cease and desist for his use of her song “Freedom” in a campaign ad of him getting off of his airplane. This song has become a mainstay of the Harris campaign, who Beyonce did allow to use the song. 

Trump seems to continue to use non-permitted music. Some record labels will make blanket licenses for musical groups under their label. Trump has not gotten a license for all the bands listed above in this way, but he has for a few of them despite protests from individual artists. An example of this is the recent town hall Trump attended in Philadelphia.