Billionaire mogul Donald Trump, who is running for U.S. president as a Republican in 2016, has millions of supporters, but the Rolling Stones aren't among them. On May 4, 2016, the band issued a request to the politically conservative Trump to "cease all use immediately" of Rolling Stones songs during at his campaign events, according to the Associated Press. Trump has used such Rolling Stones songs as "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Start Me Up" during his campaign.
According to the Associated Press: "Political campaigns don't need artists' permission to play their songs at rallies as long as the political organization or the venue has gotten what's known as a blanket license from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI for all the music in the licensing group's repertoire. But artists do have some recourse. BMI, for example, has said it has a provision in its license agreement that allows BMI songwriters or publishers to object to the use of their songs and they have the ability to exclude those songs from the blanket license."
The Rolling Stones have never officially endorsed a political candidate. However, interviews given over the years by band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood indicate that they have liberal opinions about government and society. Neil Young, Adele and Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler have also objected to Trump's use of their songs during his campaign.
Trump is the only Republican candidate left standing in the contentious race, which has seen him feuding and trading insults with Republican rivals such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina and Jeb Bush, who all dropped out of the race after experiencing crushing defeats in voter primaries. Trump also has caused controversy and gotten a lot of criticism from people who say that he is racist and sexist. His rallies and public appearances on the campaign trail have also been marked with violence and arrests. And several prominent Republicans (including Mitt Romney and John Boehner) have spoken out against him. On the flip side, Trump has gotten endorsements from numerous Republicans, including former U.S. presidential candidates Chris Christie, Ben Carson and Rudolph Giuliani.
Trump has never been elected to political office, but he has gained considerable popularity by emphasizing that his "political outsider" status and self-funded campaign make him less susceptible to political corruption and lobbyists. He also claims that his business experience makes him qualified to improve the U.S. economy. Besides inheriting a fortune in real estate, Trump is also famous for starring in the reality show "The Apprentice" from 2004 to 2015.
In the 2016 general election, which takes place on Nov. 8, Trump is expected to face off against former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who is the Democratic Party frontrunner in the presidential race.
By Carla Hay.
The Rolling Stones have never officially endorsed a political candidate. However, interviews given over the years by band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood indicate that they have liberal opinions about government and society. Neil Young, Adele and Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler have also objected to Trump's use of their songs during his campaign.
Trump is the only Republican candidate left standing in the contentious race, which has seen him feuding and trading insults with Republican rivals such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina and Jeb Bush, who all dropped out of the race after experiencing crushing defeats in voter primaries. Trump also has caused controversy and gotten a lot of criticism from people who say that he is racist and sexist. His rallies and public appearances on the campaign trail have also been marked with violence and arrests. And several prominent Republicans (including Mitt Romney and John Boehner) have spoken out against him. On the flip side, Trump has gotten endorsements from numerous Republicans, including former U.S. presidential candidates Chris Christie, Ben Carson and Rudolph Giuliani.
Trump has never been elected to political office, but he has gained considerable popularity by emphasizing that his "political outsider" status and self-funded campaign make him less susceptible to political corruption and lobbyists. He also claims that his business experience makes him qualified to improve the U.S. economy. Besides inheriting a fortune in real estate, Trump is also famous for starring in the reality show "The Apprentice" from 2004 to 2015.
In the 2016 general election, which takes place on Nov. 8, Trump is expected to face off against former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who is the Democratic Party frontrunner in the presidential race.
By Carla Hay.
