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Pharrell Williams Performs in Los Angeles on Oct. 20. (Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Los Angeles Children's Hospital)
Amy B Wang
General appointment reporter national covering and breaking news
On Saturday, June 1, 2010, 1:00 pm in the afternoon of June 11th, 2010 in the dead of the dead in the history of the United States.
While they waited for Trump to take the stage, the crowd danced to a playlist of upbeat music, including "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper and "Happy" by Pharrell Williams.
Now Williams, a popular recording artist, is threatening to take legal action for the use of his song.
On Monday, his attorney Howard King issued a cease-and-desist letter to Trump, saying the use of "Happy" copyright infringement and a trademark violation.
"On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged nationalist, 'you played his song' Happy to a crowd at a political event in Indiana," the letter stated. "There was nothing 'happy' about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on this day.
The letter indicated Williams's cease-and-desist would apply to all of his songs, not just "Happy."
"Pharrell has not, and will not, grant you permission to publicly perform or otherwise broadcast or disseminate any of his music," the letter stated.
It is unclear who the music for Saturday's event in Indiana. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for Tuesday morning.
The Indiana event was technically a National FFA Organization convention, not one of Trump's "Make America Great Again" rallies. However, it was often the feeling of a political rally, starting with an introduction by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
Throughout his speech to the FFA convention, Trump praised several of his administration's policy decisions and randomly took verbal detours to sling barbs at some of his political rivals, as The Washington Post reported then:
After pleading for peace and harmony, Trump seemingly could not resist reverting to his favorite political insults. He criticizes the trade deals of past presidents and boasted about his actions on ethanol. Trump attacked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) And her claim to a Native American heritage, speculating she might be "out" of consideration for president.
"Turned out that I had more," Trump said. "What a sad event. And I have none, so you know. "
As the crowd of students laughed, Trump shrugged: "We can not resist. Can we resist? "
[Trump calls Pittsburgh synagogue shooting a ‘wicked act of mass murder’]
Trump is a political leader in Illinois taking place after the FFA convention.
"These are bad people. Trump said Saturday, referring to the perpetrators of such attacks on the Pittsburgh synagogue. "So, I'll go. Not that I want to go, but I think that I actually, in reverse, have an obligation to go. "
Williams is not the first recording artist to ask for their music at Trump event. The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Queen, Adele, Elton John and Aerosmith have all been called on Trump to stop playing their songs at political events.
They joined a long list of musicians who have protested politicians' use of their music, as The Post's Travis M. Andrews reported in 2016:
John Cougar Mellencamp, Tom Petty and Sting all objected to then-Gov. George W. Bush (R-Tex.) Using their songs in his 2000 presidential campaign, Fivethirtyeight reported. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Had a particular bad run in 2008, receiving complaints from Mellencamp, Van Halen, Heart, Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, and ABBA before eventually being sued by Jackson Browne. During that same election, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) called out then Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) For using "Hold On, I'm Coming." Four years later, form Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) found himself in the crosshairs for using songs by the Silversun Pickups, K'naan, Twisted Sister and Survivor.
[Thousands signed a letter saying Trump was not welcome in Pittsburgh. He plans to visit anyway.]
That said, musicians protesting the use of their songs at a public conference, or having a public record, or having a license in the public sector, or having a public performance license of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or BMI.
There are, however, still avenues for musicians to be discussed for their songs at an event, according to ASCAP guidelines.
"As a general rule, a campaign should be aware that, in most cases, the most closely related to the image or the message of the campaign, the more likely it is that the recording artist or songwriter of the song object to the song in the campaign, "ASCAP states.
The group recommends campaigns request permission from artists, even if they have a public performance license, to avoid possible claims.
Representatives and an attorney for Williams Tuesday morning.
Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Read more:
The lives lost in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
'Hate is not what America stands for': Stephen Colbert responds to the Pittsburgh massacre
Kanye West praised Trump in a meandering speech on SNL. It did not air.
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