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Quick Take
The Trump campaign showed a video of Celine Dion singing the theme from “Titanic” at a rally in Montana, sparking a rebuke from Dion for unauthorized use of the video. A post on Threads then shared a fake quote from Lara Trump responding to Dion saying, “We don’t give a damn” and “I’ll sing the song myself.” The quote originated on a satirical X account.
Full Story
Former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally on Aug. 9 to boost support for himself and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy in Bozeman, Montana. During the rally, a video was shown of Canadian performer Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme of the film “Titanic.”
The next day, a post on Dion’s X account said: “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana. In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.” The post ended with a dig at the musical choice: “And really, THAT song?”
The Trump campaign did not respond to Dion, the BBC reported.
But an Aug. 10 post on Threads falsely claimed that Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, issued a reply to Dion’s statement. According to the post, “A defiant Laura Trump” said, “We don’t give a damn about a letter from Non-American Celine Dion. I’ll sing the song myself. No one can stop this Titanic.” The post shows images of Lara Trump at a campaign rally, with a sinking ship labeled “Trump” in the background.
An RNC spokesperson told USA Today that Lara Trump, who has released a couple of songs on Spotify and other music streaming platforms, did not say any of that. The quote originated on an X account called @NotHoodlum, which describes its content as “Commentary” and “Satirical Emeritus” and is often critical of Donald Trump. The Threads post that shared the content did not include a satire label.
The former president’s unauthorized use of songs at his rallies has upset some musicians. The Rolling Stones and R.E.M., among other musicians or their estates, have threatened to sue Trump for using their songs at his 2016 or 2020 election campaign events. More recently, the family of Isaac Hayes demanded Trump pay $3 million in licensing fees for his use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming,” which was co-written by Hayes, at his rallies and to stop playing the song at future events.
Alexandra Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University, explains in an article on the school’s news site that political campaigns are generally required to obtain the right to use specific songs at rallies. “They do need to pay for it; they do need to get those permissions,” according to Roberts. “Usually, the event organizers secure a license from the rights holders, and they have to make sure the license covers the songs that they want and that it doesn’t exclude political use.”
Musicians can claim unauthorized use of their music may imply a false endorsement under the Lanham Act, the federal trademark statute, Roberts explains.
“The idea is that the political use of a song is going to create the impression among consumers that the artist actually endorses that politician, is on board with that use, is a fan of that message,” Roberts says in the article. “If a politician is really tying a song to their image or to their message, like they use it as their walk-on music all the time … then I think false endorsement claims might be possible.”
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here. Facebook has no control over our editorial content.
Sources
BBC. “Celine Dion ‘does not endorse’ Trump use of Titanic song.” 14 Aug 2024.
Byik, Andre. “‘Titanic’ quote wrongly attributed to Lara Trump | Fact check.” USA Today. 14 Aug 2024.
Earls, Maya. “R.E.M. bassist calls Trump ‘con man,’ threatens legal action over campaign rally music.” McClatchy DC. 17 Jan 2020.
Levenson, Eric. “The Rolling Stones tell Trump campaign to stop playing their songs at rallies.” CNN. 28 Jun 2020.
Limehouse, Jonathan. “The beat goes on: Trump keeps dancing as artists get outraged over his use of their songs.” USA Today. Updated 15 Aug 2024.
Mello-Klein, Cody. “Can Donald Trump or Joe Biden play whatever music they want at a rally or convention? Legal expert says it’s more complicated.” Northeastern Global News. 17 Jul 2024.
Miller, Blair. “Trump rallies thousands in Bozeman in support of GOP Senate candidate Sheehy.” Daily Montanan. 10 Aug 2024.
Republican National Committee. RNC Leaders. Lara Trump. Accessed 15 Aug 2024.
Tanyos, Faris. “Use of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at Trump Rally was ‘unauthorized,’ reps say.” CBS News. 11 Aug 2024.
Timotija, Filip. “Lara Trump drops single, teases future songs for ‘liberal media.'” The Hill. 29 Mar 2024.
U.S. Trademark Law. Federal Statues. Section 43 (15 U.S.C. Section 1125). False designations of origin; false description or representation. Accessed 15 Aug 2024.
Yilek, Caitlin. “Family of Isaac Hayes threatens to sue Trump for using his song at rallies.” CBS News. 12 Aug 2024.