The White Stripes sued former President Donald Trump on Monday in a case that alleges he used their hit song “Seven Nation Army” without permission in a video posted to social media.
The band has accused Trump and his presidential campaign of copyright infringement for playing the song’s iconic opening riff over a video of Trump boarding a plane for campaign stops in Michigan and Wisconsin last month.
The Trump campaign did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, said the band was also objecting to Trump’s use of the song because members Jack White and Meg White “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump when he was President and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks.”
This comes after Jack White had threatened to sue Trump in an Instagram post last month.
“Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others.) Have a great day at work today Margo Martin,” White said.
In the post, White also called the former president “scum” over his campaign’s conduct at Arlington National Cemetery. During the visit with Gold Star families, a female official at the cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” over an argument with the campaign over taking photos and videos while at the cemetery, according to an Army spokesperson.
Several prominent musicians have previously criticized Trump for using their songs at rallies. Last week, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Trump and his campaign must stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” after a lawsuit from the estate of Isaac Hayes Jr.
