Trump returns to court… and the reason is a song

5th September 2024

3 minutes read

Trump returns to court... and the reason is a song

In recent months, Donald Trump‘s name has been linked to court hearings for cases related to “violence” and “bribery,” but this time, he has returned to court for a rather strange reason.

A federal judge in Atlanta ordered Republican candidate Donald Trump and his campaign on Tuesday to stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Comin'” after the family of one of the song’s composers filed a lawsuit against the former president for using it.

Last month, the family of Isaac Hayes Jr. filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump, his campaign, and several of his allies had violated the song’s copyright and should pay damages.

After a hearing on the family’s request for an emergency preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that Trump must stop using the song.

However, the judge denied a request to force the campaign to remove any videos already posted that include the song.

Trump’s campaign has heavily used this song, with videos even showing the former president enjoying dancing to its tune at the end of his speeches during campaign events.

Trump’s campaign complies with the ruling

Isaac Hayes, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 65, co-wrote the song “Hold On, I’m Comin'” with David Porter, a 1966 hit for the Memphis duo Sam & Dave.

Other artists who have recorded the song include Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke, The Soul Brothers Six, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the duo Eric Clapton and B.B. King.

Ronald Coleman, Trump’s attorney, told reporters after the hearing that the campaign had already agreed to stop using the song going forward:

Adding, “The campaign has no interest in upsetting or harming anyone, and if the Hayes family feels that it hurts or bothers them, that’s fine, we will not press the issue.”

Isaac, Hayes’ son, expressed his gratitude and happiness over the judge’s ruling.

He added, “I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists who don’t want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities to continue the fight for artists’ rights and copyrights.”

133 times

According to the text of the lawsuit filed by the composer’s family, Trump and his campaign began using the song in 2020 as music to “lead into the candidate’s appearance” at his campaign events, and it has been used at least 133 times since then.

The lawsuit also states that Trump and his campaign never sought permission or approval from the Hayes family until this year, and they never obtained a valid public performance license for the song.

The lawsuit further claims that Trump and his campaign’s use of the song could mislead the public into believing there is endorsement or a working relationship between the plaintiffs and the presidential candidate and his campaign.

Additionally, other artists and their heirs have already objected to Trump’s use of their songs during his events, according to “Politico” magazine.

After a video was shown last month at a rally for the Republican candidate featuring Celine Dion performing “My Heart Will Go On,” the singer’s team expressed their opposition to the use of the song at the political event.