Foo Fighters criticized after falsely claiming Trump used ‘My Hero’ without permission

The Foo Fighters have come under scrutiny for claiming that Donald Trump’s campaign used their song ‘My Hero’ without permission at a rally featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Glendale, Arizona.

The band’s representative told multiple outlets that the campaign did not request permission to use the 1997 hit and asserted, “If they had, the band would have denied the request.” The representative further mentioned that any royalties earned from the song’s use would be donated to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, adding, “The band stands firmly against the unauthorized use of their music in any political context.”

However, the Trump campaign pushed back against these assertions, with spokesperson Steven Cheung telling The Independent, “We have a license to play the song,” and claiming they had legally licensed the song through BMI’s Songview service. Cheung also went on X, formerly Twitter, calling Foo Fighters “a Pretender.”

Documents reviewed by The Independent appear to confirm this claim. Despite the Trump campaign’s documentation, Foo Fighters reiterated to The Independent, “We did not grant permission, and appropriate actions are being taken against the campaign.” 

The controversy has sparked a backlash on social media, with some accusing the band of misleading the public.