Beyoncé has issued a legal warning to former US President Donald Trump’s campaign, endangering a cease-and-desist order for their use of her 2016 track “Freedom” in a social media video.
A source close to the “Crazy in Love” singer, 42, informed Rolling Stone that the legal action was initiated after Trump’s team used the song in a video shared on the social media account of Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung on Tuesday.
The tweet, which appeared to have been deleted by Wednesday afternoon, featured the track and included the message, “Touchdown in Michigan!! @realDonaldTrump,” showing the former president disembarking from a plane.
The song, originally released on Beyoncé’s 2016 album, has been described by the outlet as Kamala Harris’ ‘unofficial campaign song’ and has been used in Harris’ advertisements for weeks with the singer’s permission, as reported by Daily Mail.
According to a source close to the Houston-born artist, Trump’s campaign never received authorization to use the song.
“Freedom” was also featured in an ad connected to the Democratic National Convention, which began earlier this week in Chicago, with actor Jeffrey Wright providing narration over the track.
In the ad, Wright said, “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, the Democratic presidential candidate, has also played the song, which includes Kendrick Lamar, at several campaign events.
Trump has previously faced backlash from artists for using their music at his rallies without permission, including Céline Dion, Phil Collins, and the estates of late artists like Sinéad O’Connor, Isaac Hayes, and Tom Petty.
Beyoncé has not publicly stated who she is supporting in the election, but she has shown support for Democrats in the past.
