R.E.M. bassist calls Trump ‘con man,’ threatens legal action over campaign rally music

R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills said the band is considering legal action over President Donald Trump using its music at campaign rallies.

Mills’ announcement on Twitter comes after Trump played the songs “Everybody Hurts” and “Losing My Religion” at his Tuesday rally in Milwaukee.

“We are exploring all legal avenues to prevent this,” Mills said. “But if that’s not possible please know that we do not condone the use of our music by this fraud and con man.”

The band has pushed back against Trump using its music in the past.

When Trump retweeted a video last year that played “Everybody Hurts” over images of Democrats at his State of the Union, Mills called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to “get on this.” The video was later removed by Twitter over a copyright complaint, according to The Hill.

The band’s singer Michael Stipe also railed against Trump in a 2015 expletive-laden interview with The Daily Beast for using their music.

“Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign,” he told the publication.

Other musicians have pushed back against Trump using their music. Rolling Stone reported in 2018 that Rihanna’s performing rights company removed her music from a “political entities license,” which allowed Trump’s campaign to use her songs at rallies.

A lawyer representing Pharrell Williams also filed a cease and desist letter against Trump in October 2018, according to the New York Daily News, criticizing the president’s use of the song ”Happy” the same day as the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

“There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose,” the letter read.