Brendon Urie tells Trump campaign to stop using Panic! At The Disco songs at rallies

Brendon Urie, the frontman for Panic! At The Disco, slammed the Trump campaign on Tuesday night after President Trump walked out to one the band’s song before his event in Phoenix.

“Dear Trump campaign,” the singer wrote on Twitter. “F— you. You’re not invited. Stop playing my song. No thanks, Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco & company.”

Dear Trump Campaign,

Fuck you. You’re not invited. Stop playing my song.

No thanks,
Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco & company.

— Brendon Urie (@brendonurie) June 23, 2020

In a follow-up tweet, Urie wrote that Trump “represents nothing we stand for.”

“The highest hope we have is voting this monster out in November. Please do your part,” he added.

He added a link to HeadCount, a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to use “the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. We reach young people and music fans where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.”

Dear Everyone Else,

Donald Trump represents nothing we stand for. The highest hope we have is voting this monster out in November.

Please do your part: https://t.co/JX8GynZduq

— Brendon Urie (@brendonurie) June 23, 2020

Trump used the band’s song “High Hopes” as a walk-out tune when he took to the stage in Arizona before a crowd of largely maskless young supporters. 

Donald Trump, Jr. takes the stage in Phoenix, Arizona, to “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco, further proof I will never escape “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco. pic.twitter.com/YzobIH7UZl

— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) June 23, 2020

Donald Trump Jr. takes the stage to ‘High Hopes’ by Panic! At The Disco (aka the Mayor Pete song) pic.twitter.com/MWEn1gt5cH

— The Recount (@therecount) June 23, 2020

The song was also frequently used during former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s run for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Urie has been an outspoken critic of the president, telling British music magazine Kerrang in 2018 that Trump is “a f—ing asshole” who is “encroaching on people’s rights.”

He is not the first rock star to call out Trump for using their songs at political events.

Tom Petty’s family members demanded the president stop using the late rock legend’s 1989 hit song “I Won’t Back Down” after it was played at a Tulsa, Okla., rally Saturday evening.

“Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind,” their statement reads, adding that the family has issued a cease and desist notice to the campaign. “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.”

The statement goes on to say that while “everyone is free to vote as they like,” 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,” the statement reads. “We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage.”

Several other musicians, including Adele, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Rihanna and Elton John have either disavowed Trump’s use of their music at campaign events or threatened legal action over it.

Last year, a campaign video tweeted by the president that featured “We Will Rock You” from Queen was taken down after the band’s publisher made a complaint.