The Estate of Tom Petty has issued a cease and desist order to Donald Trump’s Presidential re-election campaign due to the unauthorized usage of Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down” on Saturday (June 20).
The Trump Campaign used Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down” at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma held on Saturday evening.
In a statement posted after the rally, The Tom Petty Estate, also known as his family said that they issued a cease and desist to the campaign as “Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.” The statement also read “Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind.”
“Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a Song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together,” The statement continued. You can read the full statement from the family below.
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) June 21, 2020
Founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench, also spoke up via a statement on Instagram saying: “I in no way approve of Trump even whistling any piece of music associated with our band.”
“I Won’t Back Down” was released in April 1989 as the lead single from his debut solo album, Full Moon Fever. The song was written by Petty alongside Jeff Lynne, his writing partner for the album. The song reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for five straight weeks, starting the album’s road to its multi-platinum status.
Tom Petty died in October 2017 after suffering from Cardiac Arrest.
