Foo Fighters will donate royalties to Harris campaign after Trump played ‘My Hero’ without permission

The US rock band said they were not asked for permission over the song’s use and ‘would not have granted it’ if they had

Donald Trump’s campaign says it had a license to play Foo Fighters hit track “My Hero” at a rally in which the former president received the endorsement of political rival-turned-backer Robert F Kennedy Jr, despite the band saying they did not grant permission.

The Independent has seen documents appearing to confirm that the campaign had indeed licensed the song from BMI’s Songview service. “We have a license to play the song,” a campaign spokesperson said.

It is understood that BMI Songview confirms songs on the BMI Roster, however writers have the right to decline their usage for political purposes.

Kennedy, who suspended his campaign as an independent presidential candidate on Friday, joined Trump onstage in Arizona, as pyrotechnics blasted and the Foos song played.

In a statement shared with The Independent, a spokesperson for Foo Fighters said: “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were, they would not have granted it.

The spokesperson added that “appropriate actions are being taken” against the Trump campaign and any royalties received as a result of this usage will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.

Donald Trump welcomes Robert F Kennedy Jr to the stage in Arizona on Friday while Foo Fighters’ hit song My Hero played (AP)

Foo Fighters also issued a curt response on their official X account after being asked by a social media user if they had granted permission. “Hey @foofighters did you let Trump use ‘My Hero’ to welcome RFK Jr. on stage,” they were asked.

“No,” the band replied, later reposting the interaction with the caption “Let us be clear.”

“I don’t think too many of you people have heard of him, he’s very low-key,” Trump said in Arizona, before the chorus of the 1997 track began. “He’s a very low-key person, but he’s highly respected. He is a great person. I’ve known him for so long. For the past 16 months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

He went on to praise RFK Jr., who he said “brought together people from across the political spectrum grounded in the values of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, a great man, and his uncle John F. Kennedy.”

He promised to create a commission to investigate presidential assassinations that would release any remaining classified information on the JFK assassination.

Foo Fighters say any royalties received as a result of Trump’s use of their song will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign (2023 Invision)

However, despite the warm welcome from Trump and his supporters, the reception from the Kennedy family itself was much less enthusiastic.

A Friday statement from members of the Kennedy family called the endorsement a “betrayal.”

“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise, and national pride,” the statement reads, adding that the alliance with Trump is “a sad ending to a sad story.”

The Independent has reached out to Foo Fighters’ management for comment.