Jack White and Meg White of The White Stripes have taken legal action against Donald Trump, accusing him of blatantly misappropriating their iconic hit "Seven Nation Army" in a campaign video, sparking a fiery legal battle. On Monday, Jack White, through an Instagram post, unveiled the initial page of their lawsuit filed in a New York court, boldly captioning it, "This machine stands against fascism, suing where necessary."
The video that ignited this legal firestorm was initially shared by Trump staffer Margo McAtee Martin on August 29th, only to be swiftly taken down. It featured the Republican nominee boarding a plane, with the unmistakable opening riff of "Seven Nation Army" booming in the background.
At the time, Jack White's response on Instagram was swift and unequivocal: "Don't even dream of using my music, fascists. My lawyers are already drafting a lawsuit against you (just adding to your already substantial pile)." True to his word, the singer, alongside Meg White as The White Stripes, has now filed a copyright infringement lawsuit, demanding substantial monetary compensation and naming Trump, his campaign, and Martin as defendants.
The suit charges that the Trump campaign not only failed to seek or obtain permission from the band to use the song but also ignored pre-litigation efforts aimed at resolving the issue amicably. Trump's legal representative, Ronald Coleman of Dhillon Law Group, declined to comment to The Guardian on Monday, noting that the defendants had yet to be served with the legal documents. The Trump campaign itself remained tight-lipped in response to The Guardian's inquiry.
The White Stripes have now joined a chorus of artists, including Neil Young, Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, and Celine Dion, who have vocally opposed Trump's unauthorized use of their music during his 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In late August, Universal Music also issued a legal notice to Trump's campaign for their unauthorized incorporation of ABBA songs into his 2024 campaign materials.
Trump currently faces two separate lawsuits for similar unauthorized music use, one from the estate of Isaac Hayes and another from the Guyanese-British musician Eddy Grant. Just last week, a federal judge in Atlanta granted an injunction prohibiting the Trump campaign from playing the iconic soul song "Hold On, I'm Coming," co-written by Hayes.
In their lawsuit, The White Stripes emphatically declare "Seven Nation Army" as one of the most renowned and influential musical compositions of all time, accusing Trump and his campaign of leveraging their work to gain financial and other forms of support without their consent or endorsement, thereby violating their rights under federal copyright law. They further reiterate their previous public condemnation of Trump's use of the song during his 2016 campaign, voicing their vehement opposition to both his policies and actions as president, as well as those he has proposed for his second term.
