The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
Two months after suing President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign for the unauthorized use of their song "Seven Nation Army," the musical duo behind The White Stripes has dropped the lawsuit.
According to a Sunday filing in New York federal court that was reviewed by USA TODAY on Monday, Jack and Meg White — who dissolved the band in 2011 — voluntarily dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit. A reason was not stated.
A representative for Jack and Meg White declined to comment.
On Aug. 29, Jack White threatened legal action against Trump after the deputy director of communications for his 2024 presidential campaign, Margo Martin, allegedly posted a video of Trump boarding a plane to the tune of the iconic 2003 track "Seven Nation Army," which starts with a highly recognizable guitar riff.
"Oh....Don't even think about using my music you fascists," White captioned a post with a screen recording of Martin's video. "Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others.) Have a great day at work today Margo Martin."
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More than a week later, The White Stripes sued Trump, his campaign and Martin for the then-presidential candidate's "flagrant misappropriation of the musical composition and sound recording 'Seven Nation Army.'"
The song was used in the video to "burnish Defendant Trump’s public image, and generate financial and other support for his campaign and candidacy on the backs of Plaintiffs, whose permission and endorsement he neither sought nor obtained in violation of their rights under federal copyright law," the legal complaint alleged.
How it started:Jack White threatens to sue over Trump campaign's use of White Stripes song
The use of the song was "even more offensive" because the White Stripes "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," the duo claimed. Trump and his campaign "chose to ignore and not respond to" The White Stripes' concerns about Martin's video, the lawsuit states.
Jack and Meg White mentioned in their filing that they have long opposed Trump; in 2016, they issued a statement saying they were "disgusted by that association" after a pro-Trump video used "Seven Nation Army." Jack White followed the rebuke with new merch featuring the slogan "Icky Trump," which was a play on the title of their 2007 album, "Icky Thump."
Trump has promised "retribution" in recent years and vowed to go after his political foes and critics during a second presidential term. Some of his allies have suggested the president-elect would not actually follow through in prosecuting people he has named over the years, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).