Tom Petty's family issue cease and desist to Donald Trump after he uses "I Won't Back Down" at rally

22 June 2020, 10:50 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

(Tom Petty)

The family of the late Tom Petty have issued a cease and desist to Donald Trump after he used "I Won't Back Down" at his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma over the weekend.

On Saturday (20 June), Trump played Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" during his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Later that day, the family of Tom Petty uploaded a statement on Twitter in response to Trump's use of his song. Petty's family reveals that Trump "was in no way authorised" to use "I Won't Back Down" "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind."

Petty's family adds, "Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together."

They write that "I Won't Back Down" was written by Petty for "the underdog, for the common man and for EVERYONE."

Wrapping up their statement, Petty's family writes, "We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn’t stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalised by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued an official cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign."