donald trump
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Siding with the estate of Isaac Hayes, a federal judge has issued a temporary order prohibiting former President Donald Trump and his campaign from playing the singer’s “Hold On, I’m Coming” at rallies.
Weeks after Hayes’ heirs accused Trump of using the song without a license, Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. granted the estate a preliminary injunction on Tuesday (Sep. 3): “I do order Trump and his campaign to not use the song without proper license,” the judge said at a hearing, as reported by CNN.
The judge’s order bars the campaign from continuing to publicly perform the song at future rallies while the case plays out, according to CNN, but the judge denied a request for a more expansive order that would have forced the campaign to pull down videos of rallies in which the song can be heard.
An attorney for the Hayes estate did not immediately return a request for comment. An attorney for Trump confirmed that the order was issued, though he stressed that the campaign had already agreed to stop using the song at rallies.
Hayes’ estate sued Trump last month, accusing the campaign of using “Hold On” at rallies and in video recordings of those events. Hayes co-wrote the 1966 song, which was performed and released by the duo Sam & Dave.
Every four years, artists complain about the use of their music by politicians — often with mixed results. But the 2024 campaign season has seen a particular outburst of gripes about music used by Trump. Beyoncé, Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters, Jack White, ABBA and Sinead O’Connor‘s estate have all spoken out against the former president’s use of their songs — some merely with social media posts and others with cease-and-desist letters from their lawyers.
The Hayes estate went a step further, filing a federal lawsuit on Aug. 16 against Trump, his campaign, the Republican National Committee and others. The case accused the campaign of infringing copyrights, but also of violating federal trademark law — essentially claiming that the campaign’s use of the song made it appear that Hayes or his heirs had endorsed Trump’s bid to return to the White House.
The campaign has claimed that its use of Hayes’ song was covered by a so-called blanket license it purchased from BMI, which grants political campaigns the legal right to perform millions of different copyrighted songs at rallies. But the Hayes estate says it withdrew the song from that catalog in June — and that the Trump campaign was notified of the change in writing. It’s also unclear if such a license would cover the use of the song in video recordings of the rallies.
The flurry of complaints against Trump is nothing new. In past election cycles, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Rihanna, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Linkin Park, and the estates of Prince and Tom Petty have all asked the Republican candidate to stop using their music.
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Fivio Foreign becomes the latest rapper to endorse Donald Trump’s presidential run, earning him online scorn.
The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is getting another (alleged) boost from the rap world, in the form of Fivio Foreign making an appearance at his latest rally. The “Off The Grid” artist was spotted hanging out with Trump at a meet-and-greet that took place after his campaign rally that took place in Johnstown, Pennsylvania last Friday (August 30).
Fivio Foreign took it upon himself to add further proof with a photo of himself looking at his phone while Trump spoke in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “Haters gon say it’s AI.”
The Brooklyn artist was present at the rally with reggaeton artists Justin Quiles and Anuel AA, who took the podium and endorsed Trump onstage. Fivio Foreign’s presence at the rally comes days after the release of “ONBOA47RD”, a song with fellow Trump supporter Kodak Black. The former president has been actively courting rappers to endorse him, with the assistance of former Fyre Fest founder Billy Macfarland in the hopes of gaining Black voting support in the November presidential election. Trump notably held a Bronx, New York rally with Brooklyn drill rappers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow in May, shortly before his conviction on fraud charges in the “hush money” case involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow were among 32 people named in a 140-count indictment late last year on charges that they were bankrolling the activities of two gangs. Waka Flocka Flame has also been vocal in his support of Trump over the past few months.
While some lauded Fivio Foreign for his public support of Trump, many others blasted him online. “These big ole veneers must be affecting their brain…,” wrote one commenter on Instagram who used the tears of joy emoji and brain emojis.Another user on X, formerly Twitter by the name of StevenFrom NJ chimed in by writing: “Fivio is a scammer and Anuel will do anything for money so they are both perfect fits for Trump.”
Check out more of the online reactions to Fivio Foreign’s Trump rally appearance below.
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08/30/2024
In just a matter of days, the politician was told off by Beyoncé, Foo Fighters and Jack White.
08/30/2024
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Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sat down with CNN on Thursday (August 30) for the first major interview featuring the pair as they continue to hit the campaign trail. Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about Donald Trump’s recent attacks regarding her race, and she smoothly sidestepped the jabs before moving on.
Much has been made of Vice President Kamala Harris and her swift rise to the top of the Democratic Party ticket after President Joe Biden elected not to run for reelection Some pundits and observers felt that Harris and Walz alike have not put themselves in the view of journalists that will dig into their politics and campaign talking points.
CNN anchor Dana Bash lobbed questions that seemed tailored by Harris and Walz’s Republican Party opponents and critics, but they both gamely answered the questions without following any script or histrionics. Bash then asked Harris about Trump’s attacks regarding her race that he raised during this year’s NABJ conference when he said Harris “happened to turn Black” but the vice president didn’t take the bait.
Bash asked her about Trump’s statement but was met with a succinct reply as she elected not to answer the question or validate Trump’s ignorance any further.
“Same old tired playbook. Next question, please,” Harris said with a laugh. Bash pushed back by asking if that’s all she’d offer and the vice president left it there.
The Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz interview can be viewed on-demand via CNN and the network’s streaming platforms.
The clip below comes from Daniel Hampton.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty
Donald Trump attacked President Joe Biden for “sleeping all day long”, but social media quickly responded with evidence of him visibly asleep in public.
On Thursday (August 29), Donald Trump went after President Joe Biden for being sleepy in public, which prompted social media to attack him with visual proof of his own moments of dozing off at events. The attack took place during a campaign rally at the Alro Steel factory in Pottersville, Michigan, where the Republican presidential nominee attacked Biden, claiming that he was “laying on a beach, sleeping all day long.” The attack was a reference to a recent photo showing Biden relaxing on the beach at Rehoboth, Delaware near a vacation home that he owns there. “Do we have a president?” he asked. “He just got back from California. He was supposed to go to the White House, he never got there!”
https://x.com/Acyn/status/1829257164067877143
“Who the hell wants to sleep, and who wants to sleep in public?”, Trump said, adding: “He’s sleeping! Do you think President Xi of China is at a beach sleeping?” he added to the crowd. “Do you think Kim Jong Un is sleeping, from North Korea, with his nuclear weapons all over the place? They don’t sleep so much. But we have a guy sleeping.” The gathered crowd inside the steel plant seemed fairly receptive to the rant, although it wasn’t directed toward the actual Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Those who saw the footage from the rally online were quick to rebuke Trump’s attack on President Biden about sleep, noting his public siestas. One took place during his trial for election interference in the “hush money” case involving Stormy Daniels in New York City where he visibly dozed off in the courtroom, and the other occurred as he was listening to speakers at the Republican National Convention last month at the FiServ Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The searing quips included “Donnie Nappleseed” and “Sleepy Don”
Check out more of the responses to Trump’s “sleeping in public” remarks below.
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Donald Trump’s involvement in an event honoring fallen veterans at Arlington National Ceremony came with reports of his campaign team getting physical with a cemetery official.
On Monday (Aug. 26), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and members of his campaign team caused controversy after two members got into a verbal and physical altercation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump was at the cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the deadly attack on U.S. military forces in Afghanistan as they were withdrawing from the country in 2021. When an attempt was made to prevent his staff from entering Section 60 of the cemetery to film and take photographs by an official, they were verbally abused and pushed aside, according to a source.
Trump would take a photograph next to the gravesite of one of the soldiers killed in the withdrawal, giving a thumbs-up gesture. He was surrounded by Gold Star families, whom he thanked for inviting him. The rules of the cemetery prohibit “political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of [former]President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. In a press release, Arlington National Cemetery said it “can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.” They opted not to share further details to protect the official’s identity. Vice presidential candidate and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who spoke at a campaign event on Wednesday, dismissed the situation: “The altercation at Arlington Cemetery is the media creating a story where I really don’t think that there is one.”
The incident is another low point for Trump, who had not participated in the anniversary event in 2022 or 2023 and had enlisted House Speaker Mike Johnson to intervene to allow him at the event this year. Veterans have been increasingly vocal about the incident, expressing outrage at the callous behavior. The Army would issue a statement about the incident on Thursday (Aug. 29), saying: “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the A.N.C. employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Harris Campaign
The ridiculously orange man, Donald Trump, is being accused of being very yellow when it comes to debating someone with better debate skills than him.
The Harris Campaign is not above taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book regarding trolling. In a video shared on the campaign’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, they mocked the orange menace for giving the impression that he would back out of the upcoming presidential debate on ABC.
Team Harris shared a video of Trump talking about the debate, with chicken noises playing in the background, after suggesting he would not participate in the ABC debate, which he feels is “biased.”
The forthcoming debate, scheduled for September 10, will be the first verbal showdown between Trump and Harris since President Biden gracefully bowed out and endorsed VP Harris ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
You Scared Donald Trump?
Going back to his tired playbook on Sunday, Trump called ABC “fake news” and asked, “Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”
During a campaign stop in Northern Virginia on Monday, he continued his bellyaching, “I think ABC really should be shut out. I’d much rather do it on NBC,” he said.
“I’d much rather do it on CBS. Frankly, I think CBS is very unfair, but the best of the group. And certainly, I’d do it on Fox.”
The Harris campaign responded by taking a video of Trump speaking with Fox News, complaining about ABC and claiming he doesn’t need to debate Kamala Harris because he is leading the polls, and adding the chicken sound effect to it with the caption “You scared @realdonaldtrump? *chicken emoji*”
Since taking over the Democratic Presidential ticket, the Harris/Walz campaign has been cooking Trump via social media and has effectively used the tool to raise money and stoke up excitement.
You can add her trolling of Team Trump to that list of effective ways to get the disgraced former president to react BIGLY.
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The New York Times drew a considerable amount of scorn for an opinion article praising Donald Trump’s character, particularly among those on social media.
With the presidential election just a short time away, a section of the public has grown wary of some traditional media outlets seeming to praise Donald Trump. The New York Times added to that distrust with the recent publication of an op-ed from National Review editor-in-chief Rich Lowry. The article garnered some serious scorn and backlash due to its title – “Trump Can Win On Character” – as well as Lowry’s contentious history as a conservative. Lowry argues in the article that the Republican presidential nominee can win the election by attacking the character of Vice President Kamala Harris. “His nicknaming may be a schoolyard tactic, yet it has often been an effective tool,” he writes.
Lowry also alleges that Harris can be beaten in this fashion, citing her performance as a Democratic presidential primary candidate in 2020. “Everything has to be connected to the deeper case that Ms. Harris is weak and a phony and doesn’t truly care about the country or the middle class,” he writes. “The scattershot Trump attacks on Harris need to be refocused on these character attributes.” The article also cites how this particular strategy was effective on John Kerry’s run for president against George W. Bush, and that Trump’s predilection for repeating false claims might be an attribute.
The response to the op-ed was swift, making fun of the writer and Lowry for believing that Trump has displayed any proper character. Political contributor Bob Cesca shared his disdain in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “This was written by Rich Lowry who wrote that when Sarah Palin winked during her 2008 RNC speech, “little starbursts” flew out of the screen and ricocheted through every American living room.” One account, New York Times Pitchbot, which has gained popularity mocking the masthead’s fawning over Trump and other Republicans, simply wrote: “I think we may be nearing the end of civilization.”
Check out more responses to the New York Times article below.
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Donald Trump‘s campaign is asserting its right to use Foo Fighters‘ “My Hero” at events despite the band’s public denunciation of the campaign’s prior use of the track. “We have a license to play the song,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote in an email to The Hill. Additionally, he tweeted at the band, using puns of the […]
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The Isaac Hayes estate is taking Donald Trump to court.
On Friday (Aug. 23), the late soul singer’s son Isaac Hayes III announced on social media that a federal judge had granted his father’s estate an emergency hearing in their lawsuit against the former president, who has been using “Hold On, I’m Coming” without authorization during multiple campaign rallies.
“The Federal Court has granted our request for an Emergency Hearing to secure injunctive relief,” Hayes III wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Donald Trump, the RNC, Trump, Trump for President Inc. 2024, Turning Point and The NRA are required to appear in court September 3rd, 2024 at the Northern U.S. District Federal Court in Atlanta. See you in court.”
On Aug. 11, lawyers for Isaac Hayes Enterprises filed a notice of copyright infringement and threatened further legal action against the Trump campaign over its use of the Sam & Dave classic at multiple Trump rallies without authorization from 2022-2024.
“Today, on the anniversary of my father Isaac Hayes’ death we have repeatedly asked Donald Trump, the RNC and his representatives not to use ‘Hold on I’m Coming’ written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter during campaign rallies but yet again, in Montana they used it,” Hayes III wrote on X on Aug. 10.
He added the following day, “We demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.”
Hayes died Aug. 10, 2008, at the age of 65. He and David Porter wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming,” which was recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave, and issued on the Stax label in 1966, peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has had numerous run-ins with other musical acts. Scores of top artists and songwriters have objected to his campaign’s use of their songs at political rallies since he first ran for president in 2015, among them The Rolling Stones, Adele, Rihanna, Sinead O’Connor‘s estate and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler.
“It is most unfortunate that these artists have publicly posted on their social media and asked Team Trump and other candidates not to use their music — and yet their candidates keep using their music,” James L. Walker Jr., an attorney for Hayes Enterprises, previously stated.
On Friday, Foo Fighters joined the list of artists who are opposed to Trump using their music during his events. The Dave Grohl-fronted group’s 1997 anthem “My Hero” was played while Trump welcomed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage Glendale, Ariz., after the independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign and endorsed the Republican nominee.
“Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it,” a spokesperson tells Billboard of the unauthorized usage. Furthermore, “appropriate actions are being taken” against the campaign, the spokesperson continues, and any royalties received as a result of this usage will be donated to the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign.
The move marked the second time in the week — and third time in August — Trump’s campaign had run afoul of a superstar for using music without permission. On Tuesday (Aug. 22), Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung posted a 13-second video on his X account of footage of Trump stepping off a plane as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” played. The video arrived long after his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Harris, had been using the song (with permission) for weeks.
Beyoncé’s record label and music publisher sent a cease-and-desist notice on Wednesday (Aug. 21) to Trump’s campaign over its use of “Freedom.” Later that evening, the video was deleted from Cheung’s X account.
See Isaac Hayes III’s posts on X below.
🚨Breaking 🚨The Federal Court has granted our request for an Emergency Hearing to secure injunctive relief.Donald Trump, @realdonaldtrump, the RNC, Trump, Trump for President Inc. 2024, Turning Point and The NRA are required to appear in court September 3rd, 2024 at the…— Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 23, 2024