Donald Trump has once again brought his signature trolling tactics to the political arena, this time targeting Vice President Kamala Harris with a clever—and controversial—move. The former president used Beyoncé's hit song Freedom as the backdrop for a campaign video, mocking Harris for allegedly borrowing one of his key tax cut policies and rebranding it as her own.
The video, which Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung posted on X (formerly Twitter), showed Trump stepping off a plane in Michigan while Beyoncé’s Freedom played in the background. The song, known as an anthem for empowerment and liberation, is also part of Harris’s campaign, making it a symbol she holds dear.
This jab by Trump was a not-so-subtle swipe at Harris, following her recent policy proposal that closely mirrored Trump’s tax cuts from his time in office. The former president implied that Harris had stolen his ideas, so in return, he “borrowed” her campaign anthem to troll her.
However, the stunt was short-lived. After Beyoncé’s team got wind of the video, the singer’s legal team swiftly issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign, demanding that the video be taken down. Trump’s team quietly complied, deleting the post from Cheung’s account without further comment.
According to sources close to Beyoncé, the former president did not have permission to use Freedom from her critically acclaimed album Lemonade, and the cease-and-desist letter made it clear that any further use of the track would not be tolerated.
This latest exchange between Trump and Harris highlights the increasingly bold tactics being employed as the race for the presidency heats up. For now, it appears Trump’s trolling has backfired—but the political message behind his video still stands, with his supporters rallying behind him in the ongoing battle of ideas.
