The White Stripes’ lawsuit against Trump was a federal copyright infringement case filed on September 9, 2024, over the Trump campaign’s use of “Seven Nation Army” in a social media video. The band voluntarily dismissed the case on November 10, 2024, less than a week after Trump won the presidential election. The dismissal was without prejudice, so the claims could be refiled.
What Triggered the Suit
On August 29, 2024, Margo Martin, the Trump campaign’s deputy director of communications, posted a video on X and Instagram showing Trump boarding a plane as the opening riff of “Seven Nation Army” played underneath. The caption described Trump heading to rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.1NBC News. White Stripes Sue Donald Trump for Using Seven Nation Army in Campaign Video The post was deleted later that day.2The Hill. Jack White Trump Campaign White Stripes Song
Jack White answered the same day on Instagram: “Don’t even think about using my music you fascists. Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your five thousand others.)”3Billboard. Jack White Threatens Donald Trump Campaign Lawsuit
The clash had precedent. During the 2016 campaign, Trump’s operation also used “Seven Nation Army” in a video, and the White Stripes said at the time they were “disgusted by this association.”3Billboard. Jack White Threatens Donald Trump Campaign Lawsuit
What the Complaint Claimed
The White Stripes filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:24-cv-06811. The defendants were Donald Trump, Margo Martin, and the Trump campaign.4Rolling Stone. White Stripes Drop Seven Nation Army Lawsuit Donald Trump
The complaint alleged “flagrant misappropriation” and set out six counts: direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement of the sound recording, and the same three theories applied to the musical composition. The band asked for a declaratory judgment, an injunction, an accounting of profits, damages, attorney’s fees, and interest. It also noted that the campaign had ignored the band’s “pre-litigation efforts to resolve the matters at issue.”5Justia. The White Stripes File Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Trump6CNN. Jack White Meg White Trump Seven Nation Army
The ownership picture was unusually clean for a music case. Jack White held the copyright to the composition, and Jack and Meg White jointly owned the sound recording, both registered in March 2004. No label or publisher sat in the middle, so any license had to come from the Whites themselves.7The Trademark Lawyer Magazine. A Seven Nation Army Couldn’t Hold Back the Mounting Music Licensing Issues of the Trump Campaign
Statutory damages for willful copyright infringement can run up to $150,000 per work. Because “Seven Nation Army” involves two separate works, the composition and the recording, the statutory exposure was meaningful even for a single unauthorized video.8WDET. The White Stripes Sues Trump Alleging Copyright Violation
Why the Case Was Dropped
On November 10, 2024, six days after Trump won the election, the band filed a notice of voluntary dismissal.9Bloomberg Law. White Stripes Voluntarily End Trump Campaign Copyright Lawsuit The dismissal was without prejudice, which keeps the door open to refile the same claims later.10The Guardian. The White Stripes Drop Lawsuit Against Trump Campaign for Unauthorised Seven Nation Army Use
The band did not explain the decision. A lawyer told Pitchfork “no comment.”10The Guardian. The White Stripes Drop Lawsuit Against Trump Campaign for Unauthorised Seven Nation Army Use Copyright suits are slow and expensive, and observers have pointed out that the cost of litigation often discourages artists from carrying these cases to judgment.11Truthout. White House Clashes With Jack White After Using His Song to Promote Deportation Attorney Larry Iser told NPR the litigation is “very, very expensive,” and many musicians turn to social media instead of court.12NPR. Donald Trump Music Copyright Law
The 2025 Follow-Up Over “We’re Going to Be Friends”
The dispute did not end with the dismissal. On June 15, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol posted a Father’s Day video on Instagram set to another White Stripes song, “We’re Going to Be Friends,” with a child narrating a tribute to a Border Patrol agent.11Truthout. White House Clashes With Jack White After Using His Song to Promote Deportation
In August 2025, Jack White criticized the redecoration of the White House on Instagram, calling it “a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room.” A White House spokesperson called him a “washed up, has-been loser.” White responded by telling “MAGA folk” to “enjoy your paving over your rose garden.”11Truthout. White House Clashes With Jack White After Using His Song to Promote Deportation
No lawsuit followed. Suing the federal government for copyright infringement is a different route than suing a campaign: under 28 U.S.C. § 1498, the exclusive remedy is a claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, a narrower and more specialized process than an ordinary district court suit.13Cornell Law Institute. 28 U.S.C. § 1498
How the Case Fit the Broader Pattern
Political campaigns can obtain blanket performance licenses through ASCAP and BMI for live use at venues, but those licenses typically do not cover music dropped into ads or social media videos. That use requires a synchronization license from the publisher and a master-use license from the recording’s copyright holder. A campaign that posts a video with a copyrighted song without those licenses gives the copyright owner a strong infringement claim.14Congressional Research Service. Music and Political Campaigns
Fair use is the usual defense, and it has not fared well in this line of cases. Courts weigh four factors, including whether the new use is transformative and how it affects the original’s market. Playing a song as a soundtrack to campaign footage, without commenting on the music itself, shows little transformation.15Copyright Alliance. Music Political Campaigns Fair Use
The closest precedent landed the same month the White Stripes filed. In September 2024, Judge John Koeltl of the Southern District of New York, the same court hearing the White Stripes case, ruled that Trump and his campaign were liable for infringing Eddy Grant’s 1983 song “Electric Avenue” in a 2020 campaign video. Koeltl rejected the fair use defense, finding the video was “wholesale copying of music” with “a very low degree of transformativeness, if any at all.” That case settled on undisclosed terms in November 2024.16Billboard. Donald Trump Settles Lawsuit Eddy Grant Electric Avenue Campaign Video
Other artists have taken similar paths. The estate of Isaac Hayes sued in August 2024 over the use of “Hold On, I’m Coming” at more than 130 rallies, won a preliminary injunction, and settled the case in February 2026 on undisclosed terms.17Rolling Stone. Isaac Hayes Estate Settles Trump Hold On Rallies Copyright Neil Young’s 2020 suit over “Rockin’ in the Free World” also settled for an undisclosed sum.18Columbia Law and Arts. Columbia Law and Arts Journal Announcement Many more artists, including Beyoncé, the Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Tom Petty’s estate, Pharrell Williams, Steven Tyler, and the Rolling Stones, have sent cease-and-desist letters or objected publicly without filing suit.19Billboard. Musicians Slam Donald Trump Music Campaign