Judge orders Donald Trump to immediately stop playing Isaac Hayes' song 'Hold On, I'm Coming' at rallies

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A federal judge has ruled that former president Donald Trump and his campaign must cease using the song 'Hold On, I’m Coming' at rallies.

The decision follows a legal battle initiated by the estate of the late R&B artist and songwriter Isaac Hayes, who sought a legal remedy to prevent the song's use. 

Isaac Hayes' estate wins injunction against Donald Trump campaign over song use 

The estate alleged that the Donald Trump campaign did not have the necessary approval to use the song which was co-written by Issac Hayes and David Porter in 1966. Hayes died in 2008 after suffering a stroke aged 65.

The Trump campaign argued that the copyright on the song was no longer active due to Isaac Hayes' death. However, the judge disagreed.

Judge Thomas Thrash Jr issued the ruling from the bench in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I do order Trump and his campaign to not use the song without proper license,” Judge Thrash said, reports CNN.

WSBTV reported that a Judge ruled Trump must stop playing the song at rallies "effective immediately." However, the judge denied the Hayes estate's motion to force the campaign to remove any previously recorded uses of the song.

The 1966 song 'Hold On, I’m Coming' in legal spotlight

The song 'Hold On, I’m Coming' performed by Sam & Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater) was released in 1966 and became famous for its motivational lyrics. Prater died in 1988.

The lyrics encourage listeners with lines such as "Don't you ever be sad / Lean on me, when the times are bad / When the day comes and you're down / In a river of trouble and about to drown / Just hold on, I'm comin' / Hold on, I'm comin.'"

Isaac Hayes III, the son of the late artist, expressed his satisfaction with the court's ruling.

“We are very grateful and happy for the decision by Judge Thrash. I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists to come forward that don’t want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities,” he added.

Trump campaign responds to the ruling on Isaac Hayes' song usage

Ronald Coleman, an attorney for Donald Trump, responded to the ruling by stating, “The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone."

On Monday, September 2, Isaac Hayes III posted a letter dated June 5, 2024, on social media, which he said was from BMI, an organization that collects license fees for the use of music.

The post alleged that the Trump campaign had been falsely claiming to have a valid license to play 'Hold On, I’m Coming.'

“Donald Trump for President has not had valid license for nearly 100 days, and @realDonaldTrump has NEVER had a license,” the post on X reads.

The Hayes estate said Trump started using Hayes' song as exit music at campaign rallies in 2020 and still uses it in 2024.

Trump recently posted a video on Truth Social that shows a rally where 'Hold On, I'm Coming' is playing.