Foo Fighters say they did not authorize Donald Trump’s use of their hit track “My Hero” at a rally in which he received the endorsement of political rival-turned-backer Robert F Kennedy Jr.
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.
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 Billboard, 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.
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.
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 contacted the Trump campaign about its use of “My Hero” and the subsequent action reportedly being taken by the band.