The White Stripes sue Trump campaign over use of ‘Seven Nation Army’
By Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN
(CNN) — The Trump campaign may be “goin’ to Wichita” before the November election, but The White Stripes would prefer former President Donald Trump stop traveling with their music as part of his playlist.
Jack and Meg White, formerly of the rock duo The White Stripes, filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York on Monday, accusing Trump and his campaign of “flagrant misappropriation” and copyright infringement of their 2003 song “Seven Nation Army.”
Their complaint, obtained by CNN, states the two musicians “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump when he was President and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks,” noting that the song was used without their knowledge or consent.”
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign and representatives for Jack White for comment. The two artists stopped performing together as The White Stripes in 2011.
Last month, Jack White said he would seek legal action after Margo Martin, a deputy director of communications for the Trump campaign, shared on social media a since-deleted video of Trump boarding a plane with “Seven Nation Army” playing.
In the Whites’ lawsuit, their attorneys write that the defendants “chose to ignore and not respond to Plaintiffs’ pre-litigation efforts to resolve the matters at issue in this action, leaving Plaintiffs with no choice but to seek judicial recourse in order to hold Defendants accountable.”
Jack and Meg White are among several artists who have objected to Trump using their music for his campaign, including Celine Dion, Foo Fighters and ABBA. They are the only living artists to file a lawsuit against Trump in 2024.
The estate of soul singer Isaac Hayes also sued the Trump campaign for copyright infringement. Last week, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction for the Trump campaign on further use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming,” marking the first time a court has ordered Trump to stop using particular music, despite artists’ public objections, this election cycle.
The-CNN-Wire
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