Isaac Hayes' Estate Demands Trump Stop Using His Song At Campaign Events

The family of late singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes is making it clear they don’t want to be a part of former President Donald Trump ’s campaign.

The Hayes family on Sunday threatened a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump and his campaign officials for their unauthorized use of Hayes’ song, “Hold On, I’m Coming.”

The song, co-written by Hayes and Dave Porter, and made famous in 1966 by R&B duo Sam & Dave , has been played before Trump’s speeches at a number of recent rallies.

In a three-page letter issued by Georgia-based attorney James L. Walker Jr., the Isaac family notes it has “asked repeatedly” for the Trump campaign not to use the song, citing 134 instances in which their request was not fulfilled. They are seeking $3 million in licensing fees for use of the song between 2022 and 2024.

“Please be advised that failure to respond or delay in complying with these demands will be deemed evidence of intentional infringement, and we will have no choice but to proceed against all those involved, accordingly,” Walker wrote. “Thus, it is our hope that we can resolve this issue quickly and amicably.”

Hayes, a three-time Grammy winner who hailed from Tennessee, died in 2008 at age 65. The document was shared on social media just days after Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, pledged on social media to deal with the Trump campaign’s use of the song “very swiftly.”

“Donald Trump represents the worst in honesty, integrity and class and want no association with his campaign of hate and racism,” he wrote on X , formerly Twitter, last week.

As for Porter, he offered a succinctly worded response when asked about Trump’s use of the song back in 2022.

“Hell to the no,” he told Tennessee’s Action News 5 .

Trump and his campaign team have not yet commented publicly on the threat of legal action from Hayes’ family.

However, it marked the second time in recent days that the campaign has been hit with criticism over its music choice. On Saturday, the management team for Celine Dion blasted the use of “My Heart Will Go On,” the Oscar-winning theme song from the blockbuster film “Titanic,” at a Trump rally in Bozeman, Montana.

“In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” Dion’s team wrote in a statement shared on social media.

The team also questioned the choice of “My Heart Will Go On, “which conjures images of a star-crossed romance aboard an ill-fated ocean liner: “And really, THAT song?”