Woodkid – Photo: Facebook; Donald Trump – Photo: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
French singer-songwriter Woodkid is calling out Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign for using his song “Run Boy Run” at rallies.
Woodkid, whose real name is Yoann Lemoine, previously criticized the campaign in December for releasing a two-minute video, featuring images of soldiers and anti-vaccine demonstrators alongside clips of Trump’s speeches, as the artist’s 2012 single plays in the background.
According to Euro News, the Trump campaign has played that video featuring Woodkid’s song, or sometimes just the song alone, at Trump’s rallies. And despite the artist’s objections, the Trump campaign re-released the video from December on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social.
On August 7, Woodkid took to X to protest the campaign’s use of his music.
“Once again, I never authorized the use of my music on this @realDonaldTrump film,” he wrote.
Once again, I never gave permission for the use of my music on that @realDonaldTrump film.
Run Boy Run is a LGBT+ anthem wrote by me, a proud LGBT+ musician. How ironic.
Please react and don’t be complicit @UMusicFrance
Woodkid also urged his label, Universal Music France, to “react and don’t be complicit” by allowing Trump’s use of the song to go unchallenged.
“Run Boy Run” is an anthem about transformation and the pursuit of personal freedom. It is about a misfit who must break free from rigid societal norms. Woodkid has previously said the song is inspired by his experiences as a gay man.
In 2016, Woodkid spoke out against anti-gay marriage demonstrators in France for playing the song during their rallies. “It’s the Middle Ages aspect of my music that must have appealed to them.”
Many U.S. politicians have cribbed songs from popular artists for use at their campaign rallies, usually by buying licensing packages from music rights organizations, which give them legal access to millions of songs. However, artists — and more importantly, their labels — do have the right to demand the music be removed from the list of available songs.
Several other artists have previously blasted the Trump campaign for using their music without permission, including Adele, Rihanna, The White Stripes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Pharrell Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Linkin Park, and Elton John. All have either demanded the Trump campaign stop using their music without permission or disavowed the use of their songs at pro-Trump rallies.
As Euro News notes, the estates of Leonard Cohen, Beatles guitarist George Harrison, Sinéad O’Connor, Isaac Hayes, Prince, Tom Petty, and Luciano Pavarotti have also objected to the campaign’s use of the artists’ music for campaign rallies.
In 2020, Victor Willis, the lead singer of the disco-era group the Village People asked the then-president to stop playing the group’s songs “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” in protest of his threat to use the U.S. military to shut down protests against racism and police brutality, including those organized by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer with close ties to President Donald Trump, claimed during a deposition in her defamation lawsuit against HBO that sources close to the former president told her U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is gay.
Loomer is suing the network over comments by comedian Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher, who joked that she had an affair with Trump. She alleges Maher's on-air remark about her "sleeping with Trump" -- echoing a rumor circulating at the time -- cost her a job in the Trump administration and the political influence that would have come with it. HBO has argued that Maher's comment is protected under the First Amendment, just as Loomer's own inflammatory remarks are shielded when she targets her political enemies.
The U.S. Air Force has issued new guidance, in two memos signed by interim assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs Brian Scarlett, detailing how transgender Airmen and Guardians will be involuntarily separated -- and denying them any chance to contest the decision.
Citing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's memo announcing compliance with President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to ban transgender service members, an Aug. 12 memo states that any Airman or Guardian with a diagnosis, history, or symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria will be denied a waiver and involuntarily separated.
In March 2022, Justine Lindsay made history as the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader. Three seasons later, the Carolina Panthers TopCat is stepping away from the squad to pursue pageantry and community outreach.
In a statement to Outsports, Lindsay said she wanted to grow beyond the sidelines, striving to be “recognized not just as an NFL cheerleader, but as someone making a positive impact, especially during these uncertain times.”
The announcement marks a reversal, as some news outlets had previously reported she would return for the 2025–2026 season.
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