Music legend Beyoncé has threatened Donald Trump's presidential campaign with legal action after the former president posted a video of her stepping off a plane using her iconic song Freedom without her consent.
The song has become widely known as the unofficial campaign song of Trump's political opponent Kamala Harris. According to Rolling Stone, Beyoncé did not give her consent for it to be used by the Trump campaign, prompting the singer to act against the 13-second clip.
Until August 21, the clip was available on the social media account of Trump campaign spokesperson Stephen Chung, though her record label issued a cease-and-desist order. The video has since been removed.
The incident happened after the Harris and Waltz campaign debuted a new ad on Aug. 19 featuring the song, Freedom. Over the background music, actor Jeffrey Wright says, "What kind of America do we want? One where we're going to be divided, angry, depressed? Come on! We are Americans! Fascism? We have defeated it! The moon? We landed on it. The future? We're building it. Freedom? No one loves it more than we do."
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has used the song with Beyoncé's full permission since launching her campaign earlier this summer after Joe Biden decided to forgo a second term. During her first public appearance since securing the president's endorsement, Harris even took to the podium while the song played.
Donald Trump has been known to use music without the musicians' permission at his rallies. Republicans have received a series of legal threats and cease-and-desist notices from a number of artists over the years, including Celine Dion, Village People, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, Steven Tyler and Rihanna, among others. | BGNES
