President Donald Trump kicked off his “Delivering Peace” event with a rock anthem whose title suggests a ruthless approach to getting things done.
On Thursday, as the White House press pool waited for the president to host the signing ceremony for the peace deal between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the lyrics of the famous 1973 James Bond theme song Live and Let Die began playing.
A Guns N’ Roses cover of the song echoed through the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., a choice that stood in stark contrast to the ceremony’s purpose of ending decades of conflict between the two African nations.
Written by Paul McCartney, 83, the song’s title twists the idiom “live and let live,” which calls for tolerance. Instead, McCartney and his former band Wings sing about giving “the other fellow hell” in a Bond-style portrayal of violent retaliation.
The irony of Trump’s pre-event playlist was further underscored by the fact that the president, who is reportedly seeking the Nobel Peace Prize for his international agreements, hosted the ceremony in the same week he criticized Somali immigrants to the United States as “garbage.”
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “Somebody said, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country,” he added.
Since Trump’s first presidency, many musicians have been outspoken about not wanting their songs used at his rallies or events. In 2020, stars such as Mick Jagger and Blondie signed a letter urging politicians to seek permission before using their music.
Sabrina Carpenter called the use of her song in a White House video “evil and disgusting,” and Taylor Swift fans were outraged after the singer’s track The Fate of Ophelia was used in a TikTok video promoting the Trump administration.
The estate of George Harrison, McCartney’s former bandmate in The Beatles, also criticized the use of their song Here Comes the Sun during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
In 2018, McCartney told the BBC that in his song Despite Repeated Warnings, which uses the metaphor of a “mad captain” steering a ship toward an iceberg, he is “obviously” referring to Trump.
The Daily Beast has contacted McCartney’s representatives for comment about the use of his song, but has received no immediate response.
