Support truly
independent journalism
Donald Trump’s campaign has quietly deleted a video of the former president using Kamala Harris’s campaign anthem Freedom after Beyoncé sent a cease-and-desist letter.
Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung posted a video on X on Tuesday of the Republican nominee stepping off the plane in Michigan with Beyoncé’s hit song playing in the background.
Now, the post has been removed.
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign and Beyoncé’s representative for comment.
A source close to Beyoncé told Rolling Stone the former president did not receive permission to use the track from her hit album Lemonade.
Freedom had been adopted as the Harris campaign’s anthem last month, not long after the vice president stepped up to lead the Democratic party’s ticket.
Beyoncé gave Harris permission to use the song through to the November election, CNN reported.
Beyoncé fans had been quick to slam the Trump campaign for copying the Democratic presidential rival.
“Freedom is a song written about slavery and police brutality against POC. How disgusting and despicable for any of you to use it to support that convicted felon,” one said.
Another wrote: “I know she didn’t green light this nonsense… I can’t wait until her legal team finds you”.
“You must be kidding, using the @Beyonce song of the Kamala campaign!? Stealing everything has consequences,” another said.
The star, who publicly backed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, is yet to officially endorse Harris or any candidate this time around. Yet, Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff were gifted tickets to the Renaissance World Tour in Maryland by Beyoncé herself last year.
And now, rumors are swirling that Beyoncé could perform on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison did not confirm or deny rumours that the singer will put in an appearance when asked on CBS Mornings earlier in the week.
He answered, rather cryptically: “Everyday, she’s in here singing Freedom... well at least we hear it across the intercom.”
Beyoncé now joins Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Adele in the list of artists who have issued Trump with cease-and-desist orders for using their songs against their wishes. Celine Dion, the Rolling Stones and others have also spoken out against Trump using their music for his political campaign.
Just last week, the estate of late singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes sued the Republican presidential nominee and his campaign for the alleged unauthorized use of the song Hold On, I’m Coming in his campaign videos.
Lawyers for the Hayes family argue Trump owes the estate $150,000 for each alleged unauthorized use of the song, which the Trump campaign has allegedly used over 100 times.
Freedom has been interpreted as the anthem of “African American empowerment” and a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Academic Omise’eke Tinsley, author of Beyonce in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism, has noted how Beyonce performed Freedom at Coachella and then it “segued into ‘Life Every Voice’, the Black national anthem”. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, it was used as a “song of hope and uplift”, Tinsley said.
Trump’s move to copy Harris comes despite him accusing her of copying him. He told a rally in Asheville, North Carolina, last week that Harris’s economic plan would “probably will be a copy of my plan, because basically that’s what she does.”
