White Stripes sue Trump for “blatant misappropriation” of hit | The White Stripes

Jack White and Meg White of the White Stripes have filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump because they believe he “blatantly misused” the recording of their hit “Seven Nation Army” for a campaign video.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Jack White shared the first page of the lawsuit filed in a New York court with the caption: “This machine is suing fascists.”

The video that sparked the lawsuit was posted on X by Trump aide Margo McAtee Martin on August 29, but has since been deleted. It shows the Republican presidential candidate boarding a plane with the opening riff of Seven Nation Army playing in the background.

Jack White responded via Instagram at the time, writing: “Don't even think about using my music you fascists. My lawyers will file a lawsuit over this (in addition to your 5,000 others).”

The singer has made good on his threat, filing a copyright infringement lawsuit alongside Meg White as the White Stripes, seeking “significant monetary damages” and naming Trump, his campaign and Martin as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the campaign did not seek or obtain the band's permission to use the song, nor did it respond to pre-trial efforts to resolve the issue.

Ronald Coleman, a lawyer representing Trump in the matter, did not comment to the Guardian on Monday but said by email that the defendants had not yet been served with paperwork. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to the Guardian's request for comment.

The White Stripes join a long list of artists who have distanced themselves from Trump's use of their music in his 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, including Neil Young, Beyoncé, Foo Fighters and Celine Dion. In late August, Universal Music sent Trump's campaign a legal notice over the unauthorized use of Abba songs in his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump is also currently battling two lawsuits alleging unauthorized use of music in his campaign. These lawsuits come from the estate of Isaac Hayes and that of Guyanese British musician Eddy Grant. Last week, a federal judge in Atlanta issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Trump campaign from playing the soul classic “Hold On, I'm Coming,” which Hayes helped compose.

In their lawsuit, the White Stripes claim that Seven Nation Army is “among the most well-known and influential musical works of all time” and say that Trump and his campaign attempted to “generate financial and other support for his campaign and candidacy on the backs of plaintiffs whose permission and support he neither sought nor received, thereby violating their rights under federal copyright law.”

The duo also points out that they have already “publicly condemned” Trump's use of the same song during his 2016 election campaign, and stated that they “strongly oppose the policies pursued by Defendant Trump during his presidency and the actions he has proposed for his sought second term.”