Beyoncé is the latest artist to hit Trump with a cease and desist
A Trump spokesperson used a clip of official Kamala Harris campaign song "Freedom" in a video posted yesterday
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
For once, Beyoncé is behind the trend. This week, the singer joined the growing mountain of artists to hit Donald Trump and/or his campaign with a cease and desist, after a spokesperson for the former president used a clip of her Lemonade track, “Freedom,” in a video. According to Rolling Stone, the now-deleted clip was posted to Twitter/X by Steven Cheung on Tuesday, and showed the persistent song-swindler disembarking from a plane in Michigan.
Despite some profoundly stupid choices like using The Village People’s YMCA at his campaign rallies or trying to go up against George Harrison’s estate, the use of “Freedom” is perhaps Team Trump’s most uninspired swipe yet. That’s because someone already claimed it: Kamala Harris. The difference (well, one of many) is that the Democratic nominee actually secured Beyoncé’s blessing—and more importantly, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles’—before launching the track as her official campaign song. Silly, Trump; didn’t anyone teach you not to play with other people’s toys?
Harris has been scoring her campaign to “Freedom” ever since Joe Biden officially dropped out of the race a month ago. (Yes, it feels like at least six months to this writer too.) She took the stage to the song at her first official appearance in July and again at the DNC earlier this week. She’s also used it in some ads, including a new one featuring a voiceover from American Fiction actor Jeffrey Wright. “What kind of America do we want?” he asks in the clip. “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.”
DNC airs new “Freedom” ad to kick off the Democratic Convention pic.twitter.com/lXLqKi2rAN
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 20, 2024
Compare all of that to a (now-inaccessible) 13-second clip of the man who put all of the above in question and, well, it’s pretty clear why the Beyhive stung back. Maybe this will inspire the Trump campaign to actually get permission to use whatever song they land on next for once, but frankly, this writer bets that they’ll be playing “Turn Down For What” in another fit of weird kindergarten jealousy before the week is up.