There is a gesture that Donald Trump always repeats at his rallies: shake your hips and pump your fists to the musicSam & Dave’s 1970s soul song “Hold On, I’m Comin” has become an anthem for the former president at his rallies. The title plays on his promise to return to the White House after the Nov. 5 election. The music, however, has stopped playing at his recent campaign events. The estate of the late songwriter Isaac Hayes has objected to Trump using their song and has identified 134 instances in which the former president has played it without their permission since 2022.
Lawyers for the Hayes family have given Trump until August 16 to pay $3 million in royalties or face further legal action. With the deadline passed and no trace of the amount sought, the heirs have filed a lawsuit against Trump, which also includes the use of the anthem at the Republican national convention in July and at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention.
Last week, in a rare move, the federal court granted an emergency hearing to rule on a request for injunctive relief filed by Isaac Hayes III, the Grammy winner’s son. If successful, it would be the first successful legal action by an artist against Trump over the use of his songs as the soundtrack to his campaign.
Hayes joins a long and growing list of songwriters and artists unhappy with Trump’s use of their music and concerned that voters might interpret it as political support.
