Linkin Park fans mad Trump used 'In The End' in campaign video: ‘Chester Bennington is turning in his grave’
On Saturday, July 18, US President Donald Trump shared a video on Twitter that was shared a day earlier by Dan Scavino, the assistant to the President and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications. The video — that has now been removed from Twitter with the disclaimer "the media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner" — was a montage of several things, from the president himself to Trump supporters, to industrialization, to Congress, and much more.
In the video, there were snippets of Trump’s Inaugural Address: “What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people… For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost… The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country… That all changes -- starting right here, and right now.”
The most striking part of the video, however, was the choice of music in it. It was a cover of one of Linkin Park’s most iconic songs — ‘In The End’ from the band’s 2000 debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’. The cover in question was made by Fleurie and Jung Youth.
While President Trump sharing self-aggrandizing videos on Twitter is hardly a new phenomenon, many seemed to immediately take offense to Linkin Park’s music being used for his promotion. “What historical stage of empire decline are we at where Linkin Park is being played in dramatic promotional videos from The White House,” wrote a Twitter user.
Another wrote, "Stop disgracing Linkin Park with your stupid dramatic campaign bulls***." A Linkin Park fan wrote, "Don’t engage with him. Don’t retweet him. Ignore him. Unfollow him. He’s not a leader he’s a monster. Don’t give him the publicity he so desperately wants and needs. The LP Family is above this. Let’s spread love today. Linkin Park is love."
Several Twitter users pointed out that Chester Bennington, the now-dead frontman of Linkin Park, was vocally anti-Trump. A Twitter user, sharing a screenshot of Bennington’s 2017 tweet, wrote, “The lead singer for your background song (Linkin Park) is turning in his grave right now. I doubt his widow appreciates you using it either. #DonaldTheDope.”
Bennington’s tweet in question said, “I repeat..... Trump is a greater threat to the USA than terrorism!! We have to take back our voices and stand for what we believe in.” This wasn’t the only time Bennington had said that. In 2015, the singer had said again on Twitter, “Donald Trump is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism.”
The band’s co-founder Mike Shinoda, too, has mocked President Trump in the past. In 2016, Shinoda had written on Twitter, “I know words. I have the best words. #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain,” referring to John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ episode where the comic-newscaster investigated the president’s lineage.
Many Twitter users tagged Shinoda to Trump’s tweet, asking if he could sue for the wrongful use of their music. A Twitter user wrote, “@mikeshinoda / @linkinpark Please sue this man. Linkin Park's music has helped me through the darkest moments of my life. Chester was against what Trump stands for. Don't let him use this music for his gain.”
Even Jung Youth, whose cover was used in the video, commented on Trump’s tweet and wrote, “F*** Trump!!!! Def do not approve this usage of my music just FYI.”
UPDATE: The video mentioned in the story has now been removed from Twitter due to copyright issues. The disclaimer reads: The media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.