On August 21, 2024, Rolling Stone reported that a source close to Beyoncé said Donald Trump’s campaign had used her song “Freedom” without permission and that she had threatened to send a cease-and-desist. The 13-second video, posted by campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung the day before, was later reported removed. The sources do not reproduce a legal notice or establish that the warning caused the removal.
What happened in August 2024
On August 20, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung posted a 13-second video to X showing Donald Trump arriving in Michigan, with Beyoncé’s “Freedom” playing. The next day, Rolling Stone reported that a source close to Beyoncé said the campaign did not have permission to use the track and that Beyoncé had threatened to send a cease-and-desist. At the magazine’s Wednesday press time, the video was still online.
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On August 22, The Independent reported that the post had been removed. Its headline characterized the development as Beyoncé having sent a cease-and-desist letter, while its account described the earlier report of a threat. The reviewed sources do not reproduce the letter or show what directly prompted the removal.
Was a cease-and-desist letter sent?
The first report described a threatened legal notice, based on a source close to Beyoncé—not a publicly released letter or a direct statement from Beyoncé or her representatives. The Independent’s later headline said she had sent one, but the material reviewed does not include the notice itself. The most precise account is that a threat was reported, followed by a report that the video was removed; the record here does not establish the notice’s exact wording, whether it was delivered, or the reason for the takedown.
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How the song’s use differed between campaigns
“Freedom” appears on Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade. The permission reports distinguish the Trump clip from the Harris campaign’s use of the song: The Associated Press later reported that a Harris campaign official confirmed Beyoncé gave the campaign permission to use it. By contrast, the source close to Beyoncé cited by Rolling Stone said the Trump campaign did not have permission for its video.
Those reports concern what the campaigns were authorized to do; they do not amount to a court finding about copyright, fair use, or any other legal issue. The sources reviewed do not establish the legal merits of a claim.
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Keep the August dispute separate from Beyoncé’s later endorsement
Beyoncé appeared at a Harris rally in Houston on October 25, 2024, and endorsed Harris there, according to the AP. At that rally, she said, “I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother.” That appearance came two months after the video dispute and was not a public statement about the reported cease-and-desist.
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