Well, it’s not quite the reunion that fans of the White Stripes were hoping for.
Jack and Meg White — the duo behind the beloved indie rock outfit that broke up in 2011 — have come together to sue former president Donald Trump over the unauthorized use of their 2003 hit “Seven Nation Army” in a campaign video shared in August by Trump’s deputy director of communications.
The lawsuit, which includes both Jack and Meg as plaintiffs, lists six counts of copyright infringement, and alleges that the video amounts to “flagrant misappropriation” of the band’s original recording.
Filed in federal court in Manhattan, the lawsuit states that the band objected to Trump’s use of the song because Jack and Meg “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump when he was President and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks.”
Jack shared the first page of the lawsuit on Instagram Monday, with the caption: “This machine sues fascists.”
The White Stripes are not the only band that have taken issue with Trump’s playlist in recent months, as the Republican nominee ramps up his campaign against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Ahead of the 2020 election, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M. and Guns N’ Roses were among the artists who objected to Trump’s use of their music.
Here’s a non-exhaustive look at the artists who have repudiated Trump’s use of their music for campaign purposes during this cycle:
Céline Dion
Earlier this summer, Céline Dion’s management team and record label said it had become aware of the “unauthorized usage” of a video, recording, musical performance and likeness of Dion singing her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” at a campaign rally for Trump in Montana.
“In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” a statement posted on Dion’s X account read.
Dion’s team ended the statement with a question: “And really, THAT song?”
Beyoncé
Don’t mess with the Queen. Last month, Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher were quick to send a cease-and-desist to Trump’s campaign over its use of her 2016 “Freedom” in video shared on social media by Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung, which featured footage of Trump deplaning.
The video arrived weeks after “Freedom” had been adopted as an official song for the Harris-Walz campaign.
Within hours, the video had been removed from social media.
Foo Fighters
In August, Foo Fighters’ 1997’s rock anthem “My Hero” was played at a Trump rally in Arizona, prompting the band to issue a statement clarifying that the use of the song was unauthorized.
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it,” read the statement, adding that any royalties received as a result of this usage will be donated to the Harris campaign.
ABBA
The Swedish pop group officially requested that Trump stop using their music at campaign rallies, after it was reported that “The Winner Takes It All” was played at a Minnesota rally in July.
“ABBA has recently discovered the unauthorized use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online,” read a statement provided to the Associated Press by the band. “As a result, ABBA and its representative have promptly requested the removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license has been granted.”
However, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said it had obtained a license. “The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP,” the spokesperson told the AP.
The estate of Sinéad O’Connor
In March, the estate of Sinéad O’Connor asked Donald Trump not to play her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” at campaign rallies, saying the late singer considered the former president a “biblical devil.”
In a joint statement, O’Connor’s estate and her record label, Chrysalis, demanded Trump “desist from using her music immediately.”
It said the Irish singer, who died last year aged 56, “lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness and decency towards her fellow human beings.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’”
Johnny Marr of the Smiths
Back in January, Johnny Marr, former guitarist for the English rock band the Smiths, expressed outrage after video surfaced showing the band’s 1984 song “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” playing at a Trump rally in Rapid City, S.D.
“Ahh … right … OK,” Marr wrote on X. “I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this s—t shut right down right now.”
The estate of Isaac Hayes Jr.
On Sept. 3, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Trump’s campaign must stop using Sam & Dave’s 1966 soul classic “Hold on, I’m Coming,” after the estate of the song’s co-writer, Isaac Hayes Jr., filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement.
The judge ruled that Trump must stop using the song, but denied a request to force the campaign to take down any existing videos featuring the song.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, co-wrote the song with David Porter.
With files from the Associated Press
