Beyoncé threatens Trump with cease and desist order for use of her song “Freedom” – Culture

Beyoncé has reportedly threatened to send former US President Donald Trump a cease and desist letter after his campaign team used her song “Freedom” without permission. Rolling Stone.

The controversy arose on August 20, when Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung shared a short video on social media. The 13-second clip shows Trump disembarking from the plane in Michigan, all accompanied by the anthem from Beyoncé's 2016 album. lemonade.

According to sources close to the artist, Trump's campaign team did not receive permission to use her song. Beyoncé's team reacted immediately, expressing their disapproval and preparing legal action to prevent further misuse.

Trump's campaign team has since removed the video from X (formerly Twitter).

Beyonce's “Freedom” addresses slavery and police brutality against people of color. It was a particularly ironic choice for the Trump campaign, which was widely criticized as racist.

This is not the first time that Trump's campaign has run into trouble for unauthorized use of music. Most recently, the estate of the late singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Trump for allegedly using “Hold On, I'm Coming” without permission at Republican rallies.

The lawsuit alleges that Trump owes his estate $150,000 for each instance of unauthorized use, citing more than 100 cases.

To add to the controversy, Trump and his running mate JD Vance were recently criticized by Celine Dion for playing her iconic song “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally in Montana. Dion's management team and record label quickly condemned the unauthorized use and poked fun at the irony of choosing a song from a movie about a sinking ship.

As early as 2016, British superstar Adele publicly protested against Trump’s use of her hit “Rolling in the Deep” at his campaign events.