The White Stripes have filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for his use of their music in a campaign video.
According to The Guardian, last month Trump staffer Margo McAtee Martin shared a now-deleted clip on social media that depicted the former president boarding a plane, accompanied by The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
Frontman Jack White threatened legal action at the time, writing on Instagram: “Don’t even think about using my music you fascists. Lawsuit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your five thousand others).”
On Tuesday, Jack revealed that he had followed through on this, sharing a screenshot of a lawsuit he and bandmate Meg White had filed against Trump, his campaign and Margo McAtee Martin on Instagram.
“This machine sues fascists,” he added.
In the lead-up to the US presidential election, the Republican candidate has repeatedly made headlines thanks to artists demanding that he stop playing their music at his political rallies and campaign videos.
After the estate of Isaac Hayes took their own legal action against Trump for playing a song written by the late musician at his rallies, a judge blocked the former president from playing it at his rallies last week.
In the past month alone, ABBA also requested that videos by Trump’s team featuring their hits be taken down “immediately”, while Beyoncé reportedly sent him a cease-and-desist over his use of her song Freedom (the same track which has become an anthem for the Kamala Harris campaign) at his rallies.
Céline Dion’s team previously issued a brilliant statement in response to Trump using My Heart Will Go On at one such event.
The Foo Fighters were later forced to get creative when it emerged that the Trump camp had, in fact, sought the proper permission to use the group’s tune My Hero at campaign rallies, apparently unbeknownst to the band’s members, including frontman Dave Grohl.