Table of Contents
Sinead O’Connor has joined a long and notorious list of musical artists who have banned the Trump campaign from using their work at its events.
Adele
Adele was outraged to learn that the Trump campaign used her hits Rolling in the Deep and Skyfall at rallies in 2016.
Adele was angered to learn that Trump’s campaign used her hits Rolling in the Deep and Skyfall at rallies in 2016 when he supported Hillary Clinton in that year’s election.
Aerosmith
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is once again demanding that President Donald Trump stop using the band’s songs at his rallies.
Tyler’s attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Trump in 2018, a day after the song Livin’ on the Edge was played at a Trump rally in West Virginia.
This is not the first time Tyler has asked Trump to stop using Aerosmith songs. In 2015, Tyler sent two cease and desist letters to the Trump campaign over the use of the band’s music.
Tyler tweeted that it’s not a political issue, he just doesn’t allow anyone to use his songs without permission.
The Beatles
When the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun was played at the 2016 Republican National Convention, the estate of George Harrison, who wrote the song, called it “offensive and contrary to the wishes of the George Harrison estate.”
Bruce Springsteen
American icon Bruce Springsteen previously banned Ronald Reagan’s campaign from using his anthem Born in the USA.
Just as he did with Ronald Reagan in 1984, Bruce Springsteen objected in 2016 to Trump using Born in the USA as a patriotic anthem, when in fact it is a scathing criticism of the treatment of Vietnam veterans.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
John Fogerty, who last week sent the campaign a cease-and-desist letter over his band Creedence Clearwater Revival’s use of “Fortunate Son,” said he was baffled by the use of a song that could have been written to criticize Trump.
Eddy Scholarship
Eddy Grant sued Trump in September 2020 over the use of his 1980s hit, Electric Avenue, in an animated Trump campaign video that mocked his opponent Joe Biden.
Elton John
Elton John said that not wanting Trump to use his music is not political
Elton John objected to the use of his song Rocket Man at rallies after Trump used the name to refer to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Like Aerosmith, John said the decision wasn’t personal, but had more to do with the fact that he didn’t feel comfortable being British and involved in American politics.
Eternal
Following a profanity-laced tirade against Trump, rapper Everlast has issued a cease and desist letter over the use of the song Jump Around.
Guns and Roses
Axl Rose tweeted his anger at Guns N’ Roses songs, including Sweet Child O’ Mine, being used to entertain Trump rally attendees.
Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
Unlike his former bandmate’s adoration of Trump, The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr does not feel the same way and assured fans that his music would not be played at the rallies.
In 2024, the song Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want could be heard at a demonstration.
Leonard Cohen
Lawyers for Leonard Cohen’s estate have condemned the use of Hallelujah at the Republican National Convention finale, saying they had denied permission to the organizers.
Linkin Park
Future Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington once called Trump a “major threat to the U.S.,” so it came as no surprise when the campaign received a copyright strike for the song “In the End,” which was featured in the video ad.
Luciano Pavarotti
The widow of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti has banned the Trump campaign for using the Italian version of Nessun Dorma.
Neil young
Neil Young filed a lawsuit in August 2020 over the Trump campaign’s use of his music, including “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which he said he couldn’t stand to hear as Trump’s theme song.
Ozzy Osbourne
“We are sending a notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaign) that they are prohibited from using any Ozzy Osbourne music in political ads or in any political campaign,” Ozzy Osbourne said in a joint statement with his wife Sharon after the song Crazy Train appeared in a video on social media.
Panic! at the disco
Panic! At The Disco singer-songwriter Brendon Urie sent out a profane tweet ending with “you’re not invited, stop playing my song” in June after the Trump campaign played the hit High Hopes at a rally in Phoenix.
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams sent a cease and desist letter after his song Happy was played at a Trump rally in 2018. He was especially angry because the event occurred hours after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins sent the campaign a demand to stop using In the Air Tonight after it was played at an Iowa rally this month.
Many observers say it was an odd song to choose given that the air between the mostly maskless people at the rally could have been spreading the coronavirus.
Prince
After Purple Rain was played at a Trump rally in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis in 2019, the late singer’s estate publicly condemned the song’s use, saying the campaign had previously agreed not to play it.
Queen
Queen’s Brian May was outraged to learn that Trump used We Are the Champions to march into the 2016 Republican National Convention and took steps to ensure it didn’t happen again.
rapid eye movement
The Trump campaign has played Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts and It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) at rallies, to the outrage of left-leaning REM members.
“Please know that we do not tolerate this scammer and fraud using our music,” bassist Mike Mills tweeted in January 2020.
Rihanna
Rihanna demanded that Trump stop playing Don’t Stop the Music after the song was played at a rally in 2018
Rihanna demanded that Trump stop playing Don’t Stop the Music after the song was played at a rally in 2018.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones objected to You Can’t Always Get What You Want being played regularly at Trump rallies, threatening to sue in August and saying they had chosen not to use music licenses that allow campaigns to legally play songs.
Sinead O’Connor
Trump has performed O’Connor’s biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at events in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. The song was originally written by fellow music icon Prince, who died in 2016.
In March 2024, O’Connor’s estate said the late singer thought Trump was a “biblical devil.”
Tom Petty
Tom Petty’s wife and daughters, who had been in legal disputes over the administration of his estate, came together to issue a statement in June 2020 denouncing Trump’s use of the rocker’s song “I Won’t Back Down” at his rallies.
People of the village
When the Rolling Stones banned the use of You Can’t Always Get What You Want, the hit was replaced by The Village People’s gay anthem, YMCA.
In June 2020, frontman Victor Willis issued a cease and desist letter, while the band’s label said it was considering legal action.
The white stripes
Both Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes banned Trump from using the song Seven Nation Army. Both clarified that they did not request permission to use the song nor would they have granted it.