Trouble is brewing for Donald Trump as the family of the late soul legend Isaac Hayes has demanded that he stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his campaign rallies.
The family has threatened to sue Trump if he does not comply with a formal letter sent to him and his team, which has since been shared on social media. The former U.S. President has until August 16 to cease the use of the song.
The Hayes family is seeking $3 million in licensing fees, claiming that Trump’s campaign has used the song repeatedly from 2022 to 2024. The song, made famous by the soul duo Sam and Dave, has been a staple at Trump’s rallies, often played before and after his speeches.
RELATED STORIES
“Hold On, I’m Coming” was co-written by Hayes and Dave Porter in 1966 while Hayes was working as a staff writer for Stax Records. Hayes later achieved solo success, earning Grammy and Oscar awards with hits like “Shaft” and “Walk On By.”
The family asserts that they have “repeatedly asked” Trump to stop using the song, but their requests have been ignored. They cited 134 instances where the campaign continued to use the track despite their objections.
James Walker, the family’s lawyer, accused the Trump campaign of “willful and brazen copyright infringement.” He demanded that the campaign remove any videos featuring the song and issue a full statement acknowledging that Hayes’ family had not “authorized, endorsed, or permitted” the use of his music.
Given the extensive use of the song, Walker described the $3 million settlement as a “heavily discounted” figure. If the issue is not resolved, the family could seek damages of $150,000 per use, potentially totaling more than $20 million.
Trump and his team have yet to respond to the letter or the threat of legal action. The Hayes family was particularly outraged when Trump played “Hold On, I’m Coming” at a National Rifle Association convention just days after the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, which claimed 19 lives.
In response to the ongoing situation, Porter, who co-wrote the song, stated, “I did not and would not approve of them using the song for any of his purposes.”
This is not the first time Trump has faced such challenges. Other artists, including The Beatles, Neil Young, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Sinéad O’Connor, and Aerosmith, have also issued cease-and-desist orders against the former president’s use of their music.
Isaac Hayes III, the late singer’s son, expressed his objections on Instagram, saying, “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric. This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”
