Although many artists like to deny it, making music is kind of an inherently political thing. However, that always gets taken to new extremes when it comes time for US presidential elections, and the perhaps unexpectedly large role in campaigns music plays in them — whether it's inspiring marketing and merch, who's getting booked for performances, or what songs are being played at political events.
For example, last week Kamala Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, walked onto the Democratic National Convention (DNC) stage to New Radicals' "You Get What You Give," while her running mate Tim Walz walked off to Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" — which the songwriter gave him express permission to do after suing Donald Trump for using the song at numerous rallies in 2020. Trump, meanwhile, has been slammed by Beyoncé, Céline Dion and Isaac Hayes during his reelection campaign for using their music without authorization.
And we can safely add another name to that list: Foo Fighters. Trump used "My Hero" to introduce RFK Jr. — who had just announced that he was dropping out of his own long-shot campaign, endorsing the former president/convicted felon — at a rally in Glendale, AZ, on Friday (August 23). The band have now responded, alleging they did not permit the song's use.
UPDATE (8/26, 4:43 p.m. ET): The Trump campaign has countered that it had permission to play "My Hero," with spokesperson Steven Cheung telling political news outlet The Hill, "We have a license to play the song."
"It's Times Like These facts matter, don't be a Pretender," Cheung added, mentioning Foo Fighters in a tweet.
In response, a spokesperson for the band reiterated, "Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and again, even if they had been they would not have granted it."
"Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it," a spokesperson for the band told Billboard. They added that "appropriate actions are being taken" against Trump's campaign, and any royalties Foo Fighters earned for "My Hero" as a result of its usage will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
"Let us be clear," the Foos tweeted, with a screenshot of them replying to an inquiry from an account called @WUTangKids about the incident, telling them the band had not given Trump permission.