A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump campaign, halting the use of Isaac Hayes' "Hold On, I'm Coming" at campaign events.

The ruling, made by Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. in Atlanta, comes after the Isaac Hayes estate filed a lawsuit seeking emergency action to prevent the song's use at Trump rallies. While the injunction blocks future use of the song, it does not require the removal of existing videos containing the track.

The Trump campaign's attorney, Ronald Coleman, stated they would not pursue the matter further: "The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone. And if the Hayes family feels it hurts or annoys them, that's fine, we're not going to force the issue."

Key Details:

• The song "Hold On, I'm Coming" (1966) was co-written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter
• The Trump campaign used it as 'outro' music during 2020 and 2024 campaign events
• The Hayes estate claims no valid public performance license was obtained
• The campaign argues they have proper PRO licenses through BMI
• The Hayes estate maintains they removed these rights through a BMI political exclusion

Isaac Hayes III responded to the ruling: "We are very grateful and happy for the decision by Judge Thrash. I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists to come forward that don't want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities."

The case highlights ongoing tensions between political campaigns and music licensing, particularly regarding the effectiveness of BMI's political exclusion mechanism, which remains subject to legal debate.

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