Linkin Park speak out after taking action against Donald Trump retweet
"A cease and desist has been issued"
Last updated 20th Jul 2020
Linkin Park issued a cease and desist letter to Donald Trump’s campaign team over the weekend after they shared a video on Twitter containing the band’s 2002 anthem ‘In The End’.
On Saturday (18th July), White House social media director Dan Scavino shared a fan-made video on Twitter revolving around Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural address and painting Democratic rival Joe Biden as a member of the so-called Washington elite.
Soundtracked by Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’, Donald Trump retweeted the video, however within hours it was removed by Twitter and replaced with a message reading: "This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner."
Linkin Park’s business arm and management company, Machine Shop Entertainment, successfully attained the video’s removal under the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act law.
In the early hours of Sunday morning (19th July), Linkin Park confirmed that they had taken action, writing: “Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music. A cease and desist has been issued.”
Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn also took to Instagram to share a screenshot of Donald Trump’s disabled retweet, and simply wrote: “No thanks.”
Late-great Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington famously lambasted Donald Trump in 2015, writing on Twitter: “Donald Trump is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism.”
In early 2017, he doubled down on his comments, writing: “I repeat….. Trump is a greater threat to the USA than terrorism!! We have to take back our voices and stand for what we believe in.”
Today (Monday 20th July) marks the third anniversary of Chester Bennington’s untimely death. He was 41 years old.
We miss you Chester.