Current:Home > InvestSignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Jack White threatens to sue over Trump campaign staffer's use of White Stripes song -Capitatum
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Jack White threatens to sue over Trump campaign staffer's use of White Stripes song
Ethermac Exchange View
Date:2025-04-07 01:45:27
Another musician is SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Centerobjecting to the Trump campaign's use of their work.
Jack White on Thursday threatened legal action against former President Donald Trump's team after the deputy director of communications for his 2024 presidential campaign allegedly posted a video of Trump boarding a plane to the tune of The White Stripes' iconic 2003 track "Seven Nation Army." The video, which White posted a screen recording of on Instagram, appears to have been taken down.
"President @realDonaldTrump departs for Michigan and Wisconsin!" Margo Martin's X post read, per White's screen recording.
"Oh....Don't even think about using my music you fascists," White wrote in the caption of his post. "Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others.) Have a great day at work today Margo Martin."
White also castigated Trump for an altercation between a public affairs official and members of the Trump campaign at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday. Though federal law states political activities are not permitted on cemetery grounds, Trump's team was reportedly photographing and filming at the site.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
He called out the Republican presidential candidate "for insulting our nation's veterans at Arlington you scum. You should lose every military family's vote immediately from that if ANYTHING makes sense anymore."
USA TODAY reached out to the Trump campaign and White's reps for comment.
Who's spoken out?Trump keeps dancing as artists get outraged over use of their songs
Céline Dion, Foo Fighters have also spoken out against Trump campaign
The former White Stripes frontman is the latest in a string of artists who have distanced themselves from Trump's presidential run after his campaign used their music in rallies and videos.
Céline Dion ("My Heart Will Go On"), Foo Fighters ("My Hero"), the estate of Sinéad O'Connor ("Nothing Compares 2 U") and the family of songwriter Isaac Hayes (Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'") are among those who have denounced the use of their work.
Some, but not all, have threatened legal action.
After the Trump campaign played "Hold On, I'm Comin'" at rallies, Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III, filed a copyright infringement notice, which was issued to Trump and demanded a payment of $3 million in licensing fees.
"Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father's music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric," Hayes III wrote on Instagram. "This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it."
The Hayes family's lawyer claims Trump "willfully and brazenly" committed copyright infringement and has continued to use the song "despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use" by the family.
After "My Hero" was played at Trump's Arizona rally with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last week, a representative for the Foo Fighters told USA TODAY the band was not asked for permission, and if they were it would not have been granted. The rock band vowed to donate "any royalties received as a result of this use will be donated" to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
veryGood! (8)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Biden takes a tougher stance on Israel’s ‘indiscriminate bombing’ of Gaza’
- Cheating, a history: 10 scandals that rocked the world of sports
- Police and customs seize live animals, horns and ivory in global wildlife trafficking operation
- 3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
- Biden takes a tougher stance on Israel’s ‘indiscriminate bombing’ of Gaza’
- In Michigan, anger over Biden's Israel-Hamas war stance could cost him votes: We're gonna be silent in November 2024
- Titans vs. Dolphins Monday Night Football highlights: Tennessee rallies for shocking upset
- Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
- Polish far-right lawmaker extinguishes Hanukkah candle in parliament
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai lobbies UK foreign secretary for his release
- Voting closes in Egypt’s presidential elections, with el-Sissi almost certain to win a third term
- Broadway audiences are getting a little bit younger and more diverse
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Canadian police charge man accused of selling deadly substance with 14 new murder charges
- 'Bachelor in Paradise' couple Kylee, Aven break up days after the show's season finale
- Police and customs seize live animals, horns and ivory in global wildlife trafficking operation
Recommendation
RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
Rare gold coins, worth $2,000, left as donations in Salvation Army red kettles nationwide
Music trends that took us by surprise in 2023
MI6 chief thanks Russian state television for its ‘help’ in encouraging Russians to spy for the UK
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Packed hospitals, treacherous roads, harried parents: Newborns in Gaza face steeper odds of survival
Kenya power outage sees official call for investigation into possible acts of sabotage and coverup
A $44 million lottery ticket, a Sunoco station, and the search for a winner