The morning of Donald Trump’s historically lengthy State of the Union speech, the White House posted a mashup video featuring clips from a number of popular movies and TV shows and soundtracked by the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash hit “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters.
The latest pop culture meme-seeking clip from the Trump administration seemed like an attempt to create excitement for the Tuesday’s (Feb. 24) 107-minute speech, cueing in on the chief executive’s well-documented fascination with all things golden and his repeated claims that the nation is in, or entering, a historically victorious period. “WINNING IS BACK. America IS BACK. AND WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED [eagle emoji],” read the caption to the 30-second clip. “THE GOLDEN AGE IS HERE,” it added, previewing the gilded two-word catchphrase Trump would use in that night’s speech.
At press time it was unclear if the administration had gotten clearance to use “Golden” in the video and spokespeople for the White House and the fictional group HUNTR/X’s member EJAE (born Kim Eun-jae) — one of the co-songwriters on the track — had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment. The song from the most-streamed movie in Netflix history topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks last year, as well as spending 18 weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 and a record 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
While campaigns often use songs at rallies or in social posts without first getting explicit permission from songwriters or rights holders, it is often hard to get them to back off or take down unauthorized material.
The pump-up montage opens with a scene from Seinfeld in which Steve Hytner’s Kenny Bania famously says “that’s gold Jerry!,” followed by clips from Dazed and Confused, The Office, Kevin Costner’s The Postman, Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty, Eastbound and Down, The Waterboy and Modern Family, among others, ending with Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore line “you like that baby? There’s more where that came from!”
Other than promoting Trump’s favorite precious metal and providing a generally upbeat, positive message, it was unclear what policy or initiative the video was promoting, or if the Trump team had gotten clearance to use the movie and TV clips from their rights holders.
The clip was in keeping with the Trump administration’s meme-heavy communications strategy, which has frequently included social media missives mocking their perceived enemies as well as posts featuring popular, often chart-topping copyrighted material without seeking permission. In December, that strategy resulted in sharp criticism from Sabrina Carpenter when ICE used her song “Juno” in a post promoting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. After the post went viral, the White House later deleted it without explanation after Carpenter called it “evil and disgusting” and said “do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
It was just the latest example of the dozens of musicians who’ve called out the Trump administration for using their music without permission, a lengthy list that includes Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, the White Stripes, Céline Dion, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, R.E.M. Neil Young, the Prince estate, the Rolling Stones and many others.
Earlier this week the estate of Isaac Hayes reached a confidential settlement with Trump to end copyright litigation over the allegedly unauthorized use of the 1966 song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” at his 2024 election rallies; financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
“This resolution represents more than the conclusion of a legal matter,” wrote Hayes’ son and estate manager music producer Issac Hayes III in a statement. “It reaffirms the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and copyrights, especially as they relate to legacy, ownership and the responsible use of creative works.”
