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Celine Dion has hit out at – and mocked – Donald Trump and JD Vance for using her Oscar-winning song from Titanic at his latest rally.
Shortly before the presidential candidate appeared on stage in Bozeman, Montana, on Friday (9 August), Republicans watched on as a clip of Dion singing her 1997 track “My Heart Will Go On” was played on a large screen.
The management team and record label of Dion, who recently performed at the Olympics opening ceremony that Trump went on to criticise, have now shared a statement on behalf of the singer, revealing that – as was predicted – the usage of the song was “in no way” authorised.
The post, which appeared on Dion’s social media pages the following day, said: “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc, became aware of the unauthorised usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.
“In no way is this use authorised, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.”
The statement then lampooned the campaign’s decision to use a song from a film about a sinking ship, adding: “... And really, THAT song?”
The decision to use the song was widely mocked on social media after clips from the rally surfaced. Many highlighted the irony of its usage days after Kamala Harris appeared to be pulling ahead of Trump in presidential election polling for the first time.
In a recent survey, the Democrat took a three-point lead over Trump in a new survey. The song’s usage arrived one day after the former president held a widely condemned press conference filled with false claims.
“Wait, did Celine Dion give Trump permission to use her Titanic song? It is rather fitting since his campaign is sinking,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, with another stating: “This is so on the nose to what’s happening with his campaign, the cognitive dissonance is astounding.”
One person added: “I can’t help but laugh. It perfectly fits the analogy that the Trump campaign is a sinking ship.”
While Dion previously refused to perform at Trump’s inauguration when he was elected president in 2016, Trump has used “My Heart Will Go On” at his rallies before, including in November 2020, shortly before losing the election to Joe Biden.
His campaign has used songs without requesting rights before – in January 2024, The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr reacted with disbelief to footage of the band’s 1984 song “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” being played at Trump rally.
In July 2020, the family of the late Tom Petty issued a statement objecting to Trump’s use of the song “I Won’t Back Down” in his campaign.
Trump had played the hit 1989 song at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but Petty’s estate claimed he was not authorised to use it. In a statement, the family said Trump’s campaign “leaves too many Americans and common sense behind.”
“Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind,” they continued. “Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.”
The following month, Neil Young sued Trump for copyright infringement over the use of two of his songs in what the artist calls a “campaign of ignorance and hate.”
