Former President Donald Trump's campaign is in full swing, but a certain song played during his Michigan rally Thursday drew the ire of many people, especially his critics online.
During Trump's rally in Potterville, Michigan, many were left stunned when Dolly Parton's "Jolene" started playing, including former professional basketball player Rex Chapman, who quickly tweeted about it to let his over 1.2 million followers know.
"Trump used Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' at his Michigan rally today. We ride at dawn," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
His tweet was quickly met with mixed reactions. Several slammed the Republican presidential nominee for allegedly using the singer's song without consent.
"Hopefully, Dolly sends a cease and desist order to Donald soon," one wrote.
"Trump is consistent in his belief that he does not have to ask permission for anything and can stomp on anyone's right to have intellectual property, personal autonomy and he has never met a law he thought applied to him," someone else opined.
"Yeah, that's the last straw.... Misusing a Dolly Parton song," another commented.
Others questioned the choice of song since the message of Parton's track did not match what he's been campaigning for.
"Honest question — how is that a campaign song?" one person wrote.
"Lol that's a weird choice. A song about begging a woman to not steal her man? Like ... Why?" asked another.
However, a number also sided with Trump and claimed that there was nothing wrong with playing "Jolene" at his rally.
"Nothing wrong," a Trump supporter commented on Champman's tweet.
"Part of the BMI catalog... he paid to access the catalog for his campaign. Stop being butt hurt it's above board legal," another supporter explained.
The news comes after Swedish group ABBA asked the presidential candidate to stop using their songs at his rallies.
"ABBA has recently discovered the unauthorized use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online," the group said in a statement to The Associated Press. "As a result, ABBA and its representative has promptly requested the removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license has been granted."
However, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign clarified to the outlet that they got a license to play ABBA's songs at the rallies through an agreement with BMI and ASCAP.
BMI or Broadcast Music Inc. is a performance rights organization that collects blanket license fees from businesses that play any songs from its repertoire. ASCAP or the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers provides the same service to businesses so they can use licensed music.
Aside from ABBA, artists like Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Pharrell, Phil Collins, Guns N' Roses, Panic! At the Disco, and many more have objected to Trump using their songs at his campaign rallies.
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