CLEVELAND, July 19 (UPI) — Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance to the Republican National Convention on Monday to introduce his wife, Melania, before her prime time speech, including stage fog and Trump in silhouette, entering the convention hall to a blaring version of the Queen stadium rock anthem We Are the Champions.
Stagecraft notwithstanding, the song became a source of controversy Monday night, when the band’s official Twitter account transmitted a message saying Trump had used the song without its permission.
It is not the first time in the campaign musicians have complained about Trump using their songs without permission. The Rolling Stones asked Trump to stop using their songs at his rallies. Trump regularly features Stones hits Street Fighting Man and You Can’t Always Get What You Want, the latter having been used as recently Saturday, when Trump introduced his vice presidential pick, Mike Pence.
The song choice was questioned in the wake of media reports indicating Trump had second thoughts about the VP selection and might have preferred a different candidate.
Dee Snider, the frontman of the 1980s hair band Twisted Sister also made it known publicly he asked Trump to stop using the band’s hit We’re Not Gonna Take It. in May, Snider told CNN he and Trump are friends and he spoke to Trump personally, asking him to stop using the song because it gave the appearance Snider had endorsed Trump when he has not. Snider said Trump agreed to stop using the song at rallies and has obeyed his wishes.
Snider appeared on seasons 12 and 13 of Trump’s reality show Celebrity Apprentice.
