The utter and complete caucasity of the deplorable dictator we know as Donald Trump may have finally met its match. Clearly not content with the cease and desist issued by Pharrell Williams last week upon learning that his hit song, “Happy,” was being played at Trump rallies—immediately subsequent to the Tree of Life synagogue massacre, no less—Trump has now earned the ire of self-proclaimed “Bad Gal” Rihanna.
On Sunday, the Washington Post’s White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker tweeted that Rih’s “Don’t Stop the Music” was was playing at a Trump rally in Chattanooga, Tenn., as “aides toss free Trump T-shirts into the crowd, like a ball game. Everyone’s loving it.”
Everyone, that is, except Rihanna, who had notably just issued an endorsement of Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum only hours before. Upon catching wind of Rucker’s tweet, the megastar and mogul—who is likely worth far more than Donald Trump, at this point—retweeted and issued a tweet of her own, bypassing attorneys to reach Trump and his team on his chosen platform (though we’re sure her attorneys were contacted first thing Monday morning).
“Not for much longer...me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip!”
But back to RiRi’s endorsement of Gillum, which just gives us more reasons to love her, as she added her voice to the fray ahead of tomorrow’s deeply important and contentious midterm elections, writing:
The US has only had four black Governors in its entire history, and we can help make #AndrewGillum the next one and Florida’s first! If you’re tired of feeling like you don’t matter in the political process, know the most important thing you can do in supporting a candidate is finding someone who will take on critical issues such as: making minimum wage a livable wage, paying teachers what their worth, ensuring criminal justice reform, making healthcare a right, and repealing Stand Your Ground. That’s a platform we MUST support. ... And VOTE YES on Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to folks who have already paid their debt to society.
And if Trump’s supporters didn’t have their heads so far up his ass, they’d know that the songs they’ve been offbeat bopping to at his rallies were created by people who despise everything they’re blinding cheering for.
In other words, please do stop the music at your “tragic rallies.”
Updated, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, 11:50 a.m., EST: For those readers who questioned whether or not Rihanna had any legal recourse in stopping Trump from using her music in his political messaging, Rolling Stone reports that her legal team has issued an official cease and desist letter to Trump’s White House counsel. In doing so, she joins Pharrell Williams, Steven Tyler and Prince’s estate in issuing legal warnings to the Trump administration over music played at his rallies.
“It has come to our attention that President Trump has utilized [Rihanna’s] musical compositions and master recordings, including her hit track ‘Don’t Stop the Music,’ in connection with a number of political events held across the United States,” the letter read, in part. “As you are or should be aware, Ms. Fenty has not provided her consent to Mr. Trump to use her music. Such use is therefore improper.”
The cease and desist continued, stating: “Trump’s unauthorized use of Ms. Fenty’s music … creates a false impression that Ms. Fenty is affiliated with, connected to or otherwise associated with Trump.”