Donald Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday with an entrance worthy of Wrestlemania. Trump's unmistakeable silhouette emerged in front of a blinding backdrop of white lights as a lectern magically rose from the floor. All the while, Queen's "We Are The Champions" blared inside the arena.
The cheering RNC crowd seemed pleased by the spectacle. Queen, however, was not:
Queen's frustration with Trump is nothing new. Trump used "We Are The Champions" at earlier campaign events, drawing the ire of Queen guitarist Brian May, who wrote in a post in his website last month that "permission to use the track was neither sought nor given."
"We are taking advice on what steps we can take to ensure this use does not continue," May wrote. "Regardless of our views on Mr [sic] Trump’s platform, it has always been against our policy to allow Queen music to be used as a political campaigning tool."
Trump's appropriation of rock music at his campaign events has drawn rebukes from a number of musicians, including Neil Young, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, and Adele.
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