Claim:
Authentic photograph shows Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl wearing a MAGA hat indicating support of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Rating:
Fake ( About this rating? )
In August 2024, a photograph of Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl apparently wearing a MAGA hat — referring to the Trump campaign slogan "Make America Great Again"—indicating his support for former U.S. President Donald Trump, went viral. The photograph appeared on X with this statement attributed to Grohl: "President Trump playing 'My Hero' [referencing a Foo Fighters' song] during his journey back to the White House is the honor of my lifetime."
The above photograph is a manipulated image and not an authentic depiction of Grohl at the time. The MAGA hat was edited onto Grohl's head, and Grohl did not say the words attributed to him. Rather, the Foo Fighters representative said the band had not granted permission to the Trump campaign to use their song. As such, we rate this claim as "Fake."
Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we traced the photograph back to November 2023.
The original image appeared in Australian media in November 2023 and showed Grohl leaving a hotel in Perth, wearing a black cap. PerthNow , a local newspaper, shared the image, crediting photographer Justin Benson-Cooper. According to the news report, Grohl was staying in the Ritz Carlton, ahead of a performance with his band. The lettering on the black cap he was wearing said, "HOPE, The Mission."
Grohl can be seen in other photos wearing the same outfit and black cap.
(Screenshot via PerthNow)
Grohl vs. Trump
On Aug. 23, 2024, at a Trump rally in Arizona, the Trump campaign used the Foo Fighters song "My Hero" to introduce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onstage. Kennedy was an erstwhile presidential candidate who dropped out of the race to endorse Trump.
But the band was not happy about the use of their song.
A representative for the Foo Fighters told Entertainment Weekly , "Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it. Also any royalties received as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign."
The band's official X account also denied giving the Trump campaign permission to use the song:
However, the Trump campaign disputed this. Spokesperson Steven Cheung told media outlets that the campaign had received a license to play the song. Cheung quote-tweeted an Independent article to that effect in a post in which he referenced two other Foo Fighters songs, writing, "It's Times Like These facts matter, don't be a Pretender." According to the Independent, the publication had "seen documents appearing to confirm that the campaign had indeed licensed the song from BMI's Songview service."
Grohl has been critical of Trump in the past. In a 2018 GQ interview, he said:
Listen, who cares what I think about guns or religion, but the thing about Trump that stings the most is this: he just seems like a massive jerk. Right? I know a lot of wonderful people who don't share my politics and you can bet tomorrow night in the stadium not everyone will share the same opinion or hold the same views. But when I sing 'My Hero' they will all sing it with me. In the three hours that I am on stage, none of that matters.
The image in question is thus a manipulated version of an older image and the Foo Fighters have disputed the Trump campaign's use of their song.
Sources:
Evon, Dan. "Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches." Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/ . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
"Foo Fighters Star Spotted Leaving Luxurious Perth Hotel." PerthNow, 28 Nov. 2023, https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/foo-fighters-lead-singer-dave-grohl-spotted-in-high-spirits-outside-the-ritz-carlton-in-perth-c-12712085 . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Heaf, Jonathan. "Dave Grohl: 'No One Thought Nirvana Would Be a Big Deal.'" British GQ, 23 May 2018, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/dave-grohl-interview-2018 . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Newman, Melinda. "Foo Fighters Did Not Allow Donald Trump to Use 'My Hero' at Rally, Will Donate Any Royalties to Harris Campaign." Billboard, 24 Aug. 2024, https://www.billboard.com/culture/politics/foo-fighters-donald-trump-my-hero-rally-1235760416/ . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
"Trump Campaign Fires Back at Foo Fighters over Use of 'My Hero' at Rally." EW.Com, https://ew.com/trump-campaign-fires-back-at-foo-fighters-claims-it-had-permission-to-use-my-hero-at-a-rally-8701506 . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
"Trump Campaign Insists It Had Right to Use Foo Fighters Song, despite Backlash." The Independent, 24 Aug. 2024, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/foo-fighters-my-hero-trump-rfk-jr-b2601348.html . Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
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