A cease-and-desist letter was sent to Donald Trump from Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher after a presidential campaign video was posted featuring the megastar’s song “Freedom.”
The now taken down clip was posted by Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, through his X (formerly Twitter) account. The song was played over the footage of the Republican presidential candidate stepping off the plane. It was noted that the song had become the official theme song for the campaigns of Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
They first used the song after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed her candidacy. However, the Harris-Walz campaign and advertisements used the track at the Democractic National Convention with Beyoncé’s permission.
While it is not uncommon for politicians to use popular songs at events and campaign rallies, artists seem to draw the line when it comes to some candidates using their songs.
In the past, Trump has been called out by several artists for using their tracks at campaign events without their authorization. A few issued public statements, while others sent in their cease-and-desist letters through lawyers.
Some of the artists who have objected to Trump’s use of their tracks over the years include, The Roling Stones, Rihanna, Adele, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
