A federal judge in Atlanta has issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump campaign to stop using Isaac Hayes’s song ”Hold On, I’m Coming” at rallies. The R&B song has frequently been played during the closing portion of former President Donald Trump’s rallies. The GOP nominee’s presidential campaign has stated that it respects the bench ruling and will not appeal it.
Ron Coleman, a lawyer for the campaign, emphasized that they have no intention of annoying or hurting anyone. He added that if the Hayes family feels bothered or annoyed by the use of their late father’s song, they will comply with their wishes. However, Coleman highlighted that what mattered most to them was that the judge did not order them to remove videos featuring the 1966 song.
Regarding the timing of this request just months before the election, Coleman acknowledged that there may be political considerations behind it but also suggested that it could be used as a pressure point rather than solely motivated by politics. He expressed his satisfaction with how everyone involved in this matter has conducted themselves respectfully.
Isaac Hayes III, one of Isaac Hayes’s 11 children and representative of his estate, had previously called on Trump to cease playing “Hold On, I’m Coming.” The estate demanded that videos featuring the song be removed and requested a public disclaimer from Trump while also seeking $3 million in licensing fees by August 16th; otherwise legal action would be taken against him. The campaign claimed to have a fair-use license for playing the song; however, this was denied by Hayes’s estate.
Hayes III took to social media platform X on September 2nd to refute these claims made by Trump’s campaign regarding licensing rights. He stated unequivocally that neither Donald Trump nor his presidential campaign had ever possessed a valid license for using his father’s music.
The ruling in favor of Isaac Hayes’s estate was met with celebration from their side. James Walker Jr., lead attorney representing them, expressed satisfaction with how they stood up against Donald Trump in this matter. Meanwhile, Hayes III expressed gratitude and happiness over this decision while also seeing it as an opportunity for other artists whose music is being used without permission by political entities like Donald Trump’s campaign.
It is worth noting that other artists such as Celine Dion, Rihanna Bruce Springsteen and Guns N’ Roses have also called on Trump to stop playing their music at his rallies but have not pursued legal action against him yet. In addition to ceasing use of “Hold On I’m Coming,” Isaac Hayes’s estate intends to push for removal of any videos containing their late father’s song through further court proceedings.
This battle between Isaac Hayes’s estate and Donald Trump began back in 2022 when “Hold On I’m Coming” was played after one of his speeches at NRA Annual Meeting following a tragic shooting incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas where many lives were lost and others injured. Despite receiving a cease-and-desist letter at that time requesting him not to use their music anymore due its inappropriate context following such an eventful tragedy he continued doing so.