The estate of Tom Petty has issued a formal cease and desist letter to the campaign of US president Donald Trump following the use of his song I Won’t Back Down on 20 June at a rally in Tulsa.
In a statement published on Twitter, the family of the singer wrote that Trump was “in no way authorised to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense left behind”.
They continued that both the musician and his family “firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would not want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together”.
While his family both noted their support for democracy and for America, they noted that: “Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalised by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage”.
This is not the first time Trump has been issued with a cease and desist for the use of music without obtaining the appropriate permission. In 2015, Neil Young said that Trump had not been given permission to use Rockin’ in the Free World at his presidential campaign announcement, while Rihanna issued a cease and desist letter following the use of her music at “one of those tragic rallies”.
Trump had anticipated a substantial crowd in the Tulsa rally; however, the arena was, by and large, empty. According to the Tulsa fire department, there were 6,200 attendees, while Trump’s campaign doubled this figure. The auditorium could hold 19,000.
