Tom Petty’s family has sent the Trump campaign a cease and desist notice after the late singer’s song “I Won’t Back Down” was used during Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night. The family also issued a strongly-worded statement on Twitter saying, “Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate.”
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) June 21, 2020
Petty’s family isn’t the first to condemn Trump for using their music, NPR points out:
Politicians and campaigns in the U.S. are typically free to use any music they choose for rallies as long as they pay for the rights. But numerous artists have asked Trump not to use their music, including Neil Young, Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Pharrell, Earth, Wind & Fire, Queen, REM’s Michael Stipe, The Rolling Stones, Rihanna and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
