I don’t expect anyone involved in Donald Trump’s campaign to make a single well-informed decision, but they have to be at least a little tired by this point, right? Last Friday, Trump used Foo Fighters’ classic “My Hero” to introduce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his rally in Glendale, Arizona. A Foos spokesperson said the band was “not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it,” obviously. Now, Trump’s people have responded to the response.

The Independent reported that they had “seen documents appearing to confirm that the campaign had indeed licensed the song from BMI’s Songview service,” and that a Trump campaign spokesperson said they had a license to play the song. But BMI’s website describes Songview as a “data platform” that “provide[s] the public with a comprehensive view of ownership shares for the vast majority of works licensed” in the US — nothing about licensing there. BMI also issues Political Entities Licenses for events like rallies, and those include a provision that allows BMI to exclude the song in question from the license if the songwriter or publisher objects. It sure sounds like Foo Fighters have objected.

But of course, Trump’s campaign is not concerned with the fine print. “It’s Times Like These facts matter, don’t be a Pretender,” his spokesperson Steven Cheung tweeted at Foo Fighters, using their own song titles against them. Meanwhile, an emergency court hearing has just been set for Sept. 3 regarding Trump’s allegedly unauthorized use of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies. Beyoncé’s team just issued a cease and desist after Cheung used her song “Freedom” over a since-deleted video of Trump on social media. The former president has also been hit with lawsuits for illegally using Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk” as well as Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” at campaign rallies. He pissed off Celine Dion’s team, too. He should just keep it simple and stick to Kid Rock.

It’s Times Like These facts matter, don’t be a Pretender. @foofighters https://t.co/yutdFMKH2X pic.twitter.com/l6d6BSnDw2

— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) August 25, 2024