Cease and Desist
From bangers to broadway, former President Donald Trump is well known for the eclectic mix of music played during his campaign rallies. In fact, during his most recent townhall style campaign rally, Trump stopped taking audience questions and instead played music and “danced” for over 30 minutes. The behavior seemed bizarre, even for Trump. Let’s make this a musical-fest,” he said to the crowd before proceeding to play some of his favorite tunes.
A few of his staples over his last three presidential campaigns include Elton John’s I’m Still Standing, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”, the Village People’s “Macho Man” and “Memory” from the 1983 original Broadway cast of “Cats.”
Spotify has a great playlist with about 52 well-known songs that can regularly be heard at Trump rallies. But there’s a problem – many of those artists want nothing to do with Trump. By my count, about 42 artists and bands have publicly denounced Trump’s use of their music and even asked for his campaign to stop using them.
Of course, Trump’s lack of permission in using these songs has not stopped him – many are still in rotation. Among those openly opposed to Trump’s usage include such big name artists as Abba, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Aerosmith, The Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen. Elton John was quoted as saying that his music should have no role in American politics, suggesting instead that Ted Nugent would be a more appropriate choice for Trump.
At one point Trump thought that he received an endorsement from megastar Taylor Swift, but upon a closer inspection it was clear that Trump had fallen for an A.I. generated hoax. In reality, the real Taylor Swift endorsed Harris a few weeks later on her Instagram.
But not every musician opposes Trump. Among the artists that openly endorse Donald Trump include Ye (aka Kanye West), Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, …and a handful of people I’ve never heard of. Unfortunately, none of those artists get any play at Trump’s rallies
The Kamala Harris campaign by comparison has not received any cease and desist orders from musicians. That’s probably because unlike Trump, the Harris campaign seeks permission before they play music. In fact, quite notably Beyonce, whose music has strict clearance guidelines, granted Team Harris use of her song “Freedom. That song has now become a theme of the Harris campaign.
Another notable moment in the world of music was when Charli XCX tweeted, a simple, “Kamala IS Brat,” in reference to her chart topping album of the same name. It was as if to say, Kamala somehow embodies the ethos of the Brat album. So far Trump hasn’t received any such praise from comparable artists.
It’s baffling how Trump himself remains so popular but is roundly rejected by popular culture. Some theorize that his detachment from the culture elite is part of what makes him appealing.
Whatever the case, the popular artists of all genre seem to be singing the same tune, and their message is clear: Trump, stop playing our music.