Beyoncé threatens Donald Trump with legal action over ‘Freedom’ song use
Beyoncé has issued Donald Trump with a cease and desist over the use of a Lemonade track in a campaign video (Getty)
Beyoncé has threatened Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with a cease-and-desist order after he used one of her songs in an election campaign video.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, a source close to Beyoncé disclosed that the Trump campaign was not given permission to use “Freedom” in a 13-second clip of the former president stepping off a plane in Michigan, posted by campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung.
The clip, which was posted on Tuesday (20 August), has since been deleted, but remained up until the following day, despite Beyoncé’s label issuing the cease-and-desist order.
The track, from the star’s Lemonade album, was authorised for, and used by, the Harris-Walz ticket.
The Trump video features The Batman actor Jeffrey Wright asking: “What kind of America do we want? One where we’re divided, angry, depressed? C’mon, we’re Americans! Fascism? We conquered it. The moon? Landed on it. The future? Building it. Freedom? Nobody loves it more.”
Harris also walked to the podium to the song at her first public event after becoming the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for the presidency, The track is an anthem dedicated to black women, with its music video featuring the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, all young Black victims of gun violence.
A lyric from “Energy”, a track on Beyoncé’s hit Renaissance album goes: “Votin’ out 45, don’t get outta line.” Trump was the 45th US president.
Other musicians who have opposed Trump’s use of their songs include Adele and The Rolling Stones, while the family of Isaac Hayes have filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement against the former president.
The Democratic National Convention, which ends on Thursday (22 August) – when Harris will officially accept her party’s nomination for the presidency – has featured a number of stars, including Oprah and Pose actor Billy Porter, as well as Trump’s former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, all of whom have mocked or lambasted the Republican Party.
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