Musician Jack White announced plans to sue former President Donald Trump after a Trump campaign staff member tweeted a video featuring The White Stripes’ popular song “Seven Nation Army.”
White expressed his anger on Instagram, calling Trump and his campaign team “fascists” and warning of a lawsuit. “Don’t even think about using my music,” White wrote. “Lawsuit coming from my lawyers to add to your 5 thousand others.”
White’s legal threat comes following a wave of similar activities by other well-known artists. Beyoncé recently demanded the removal of a Trump spokesperson’s video featuring her song “Freedom.” After she threatened legal action, the video was quickly removed.
Meanwhile, acts such as the Foo Fighters and ABBA are requesting that Trump cease using their music at his campaign rallies. Despite broad ASCAP and BMI licenses that normally cover such uses, artists can opt out of them and inform candidates that their music is being used without permission.
In such circumstances, the campaign may risk a $150,000 penalty for each improper use. Currently, the estate of soul artist Isaac Hayes is suing Trump for $3 million for unauthorized use of Hayes’ song.
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This latest battle by White is just one of several controversies surrounding Trump’s campaign. Taylor Swift is also considering legal action after Trump’s Truth Social account shared a series of AI-generated graphics that falsely implied her endorsement. These instances are raising issues about the Trump campaign’s stance on intellectual property rights and digital ethics.
White didn’t just stop at criticizing Trump’s unauthorized use of his music. In his Instagram post, he also lashed out at the former president over an incident during Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
According to White, members of Trump’s campaign staff clashed with a cemetery staffer who was enforcing a federal regulation against partisan activity, which includes limiting photography. White condemned Trump for what he described as “insulting our nation’s veterans” and suggested that Trump should lose the support of military families
The legal rights of musicians in cases like these hinge on how their music is used in political contexts. While licenses from ASCAP and BMI allow political campaigns to use music, they do not override an artist’s right to object. When an artist chooses to opt out of these licenses, they can legally demand that their music not be used.
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