Have you noticed how a great song can totally change your mood? Campaigns are tuning into this vibe, using music to energize and connect with you. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump turn up the volume to get their rallies on fire.
Let’s see how these campaigns are using catchy tunes and hits to create excitement while bringing a whole new beat to politics.
Get ready to feel the rhythm!
The headlines surrounding Democrats immediately after running their presidential campaign seemed to be less about politics and more about Beyonce as they fetched out the country’s new trajectory. The pop superstar was relaxed and granted the use of her song, Freedom, in Kamala’s historical White House Run.
Harris walked into the Wilmington, Delaware campaign on a song from the Lemonade album that Kendrick Lamar was featured on, the same song used in demonstrations nationwide after the police attack involving George Floyd in 2020.
Beyonce reacted quickly by agreeing to Kamala’s use of her songs, as her team designed the soundtrack for the younger electorate.
The message they sent with their freedom anthem blazing in the background was “What kind of America do we want? One where we’re divided, angry, depressed? C’mon! We’re Americans! Fascism? We conquered it. The moon? Landed on it. The future? Building it. Freedom? Nobody loves it more. And we fight for it.”
You will easily see the contrast in the campaign soundtracks at the Trump and Harris rallies. You will hear nostalgia on the Trump side, the classic American music that reminds you of younger and happier times, while on the other side, the most popular artists of the moment are blasting the speakers together in a multicultural mix and genres, reflecting 2024 America.
Artists opposing Trump
Harris used the song Freedom in her campaign, including a video that uses it as a soundtrack, with Queen Bey’s consent, of course. Trump used the song Freedom as well, and he needed to face cease-and-desist threats from the musician.
On August 22, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung posted a short video on his X account of footage of Trump stepping off a plane as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” played. The video arrived long after the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, had been using the song. Trump, meanwhile, is notorious for using music at his campaign rallies without the artists’ permission, with the former president receiving pushback and legal threats from dozens of musicians over the unauthorized usage of their songs.
Artists like R.E.M. and Isaac Hayes III took action to stop their music from being used in Trump’s campaigns. After using “Hold on, I’m Comin'” at over 135 rallies, Hayes threatened Trump with legal action for using his father’s song without consent. The former president received pushback and legal threats from a lot of musicians over the unauthorized usage of their songs. You can also find a list on Wikipedia with all the artists who opposed Trump’s use of their music.
Celine Dion objected to “My Heart Will Go On” being used before a Montana event, writing online that its use was unauthorized and being surprised by the choice itself: “Really, that song?”
Foo Fighters, another band on Trump’s list was being asked by the X account with the name “Wu-Tang Is for the Children” if they let Trump use ‘My Hero’ while welcoming RKJ Jr. on stage. The Foo Fighters account simply replied, “No,” and then posted the exchange, adding, “Let us be clear.”
Beyond these controversies, Trump chooses to tap into nostalgia and patriotism and his favorite choices are songs like “God Bless the USA”, a song that has been a staple in political campaigns since the 1980’s.
This nostalgia may have brought something to Trump in 2016, but things are now shifting. A new study from Tufts University showed that 8 million young Americans are eligible to vote in 2024, younger voters who are politically active and nearly half of them being people of color. This could significantly impact the election. The music we hear at rallies isn’t just about how Trump and Harris want to be seen, but more about who they think will show up and vote for them.
The Brat summer
Tweets with “Kamala IS Brat” are circulating all over X, making a reference to Charli XCX, the British pop star’s viral album Brat. Moreover, Charli wrote it herself on X, and campaign logos were reinvented by supporters with a sense of humor to look like the Brat cover’s lime green background.
Harris and her team managed to electrify the youth vote with even more than just some hip-hop and R&B
In the video conversation that Kamala and Walz were having about music, she describes herself as being “more of a hip-hop girl,” and comparing to her, her husband is more of a Depeche Mode in the Venn diagram of things, but they also share soul artists such as Prince.
Harris’ inner hip-hop girl would be dancing or singing along to the carefully curated songs from Migos, Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” Nicki Minaj, and Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” emerging amid funk and modern gospel-pop tracks with classic soul.
In her recent campaign in Minnesota, results suggested that Harris’s campaign would favor black people or female artists and pop music, while the Trump campaign favors white, male artists and rock music. Not something to be surprised by, but thinking about the numbers that seem to up the daylight between the two campaigns, it seems like they represent 2 different Americas: the moment and diverse music of Harris vs. Trump’s team choices of “white” and oldies and 27 out of 35 songs at Minnesota’s rally fit the description. In Wisconsin, Harris’ team played Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud. Meanwhile, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Trump went out with Losing My Religion.
Donald Trump is featured on a song by artist Kodak Black called “ONBOA47RD”
The song seems to evolve into a banger, with both Fivio and Kodak bringing subject matter predicated on rising above adversity. Kodak talks about his relationship with Donald Trump, and he dives deeper into Republican topics, pointing out that Barack Obama failed to help the Black population during his presidency.
In the bigger picture, this pro-Trump track, featuring these loved and well-known rappers comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has received support from hip-hop heavyweights Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo.
It’s obvious that Trump is aiming to boost his appeal among Black and young voters, who traditionally lean Democratic and NPR reports that Trump is gaining reactions among these groups.
Did Trump’s campaign commission this song? This question was not immediately responded to, but we may have a hint from the lyrics, “When Trump called I was on tour”. This would be the first time when Trump enlisted rappers as political allies.
Kodak Black (Bill Kapri) has been supportive of Trump since the former president commuted his prison sentence in 2021. The rapper showed up with a cold chain with Trump’s face on it while seeing Trump as family and saying that he hadn’t seen as many Black people freed during the Obama days.
This is where you can find both Harris and Trump’s Biographies in case you still want to find out more about them before you make a decision: Trump – The Biography: From Businessman to 45th President of the United States: Insight and Analysis into the Life of Donald J. Trump, by J.R. MacGregor and Kamala’s Way by Dan Morain, Soneela Nankani, et al, the audiobook version.
Read next: 7 Reasons Why Big Companies WANT Harris to Win
