The band reportedly forced the removal of white house video using their iconic song without permission for Trump’s campaign.
Linkin Park fans did a collective double take after the official White House social media accounts used Somewhere I Belong in a hype video promoting US President Donald Trump. The clip, posted around New Year’s Eve, paired political highlight reels with the band’s 2003 anthem, and the internet did not take it lightly.
Almost immediately, backlash flooded social media. Fans accused the administration of hijacking a deeply personal song about identity, alienation, and inner conflict for political messaging. Memes flew, comments stacked up, and one sentiment cut through the noise: this was not what Somewhere I Belong was written for.
Behind the scenes, Linkin Park’s camp moved fast. According to reports, the band’s manager and marketer Adam Ruehmer urged fans to stop engaging with the post, confirming the team was “aware and taking action.” Soon after, the video disappeared from White House accounts, with the audio removed before the post itself vanished.
While LP have not issued a new public statement, their position is hardly a mystery. In 2020, the American nu-metal band sent a cease-and-desist order after In The End appeared in a Trump campaign ad without permission. At the time, they made it crystal clear: Linkin Park do not endorse Trump and do not authorize the use of their music for political purposes.
That stance aligns closely with the views of late frontman Chester Bennington, who openly criticised Trump during his presidency and urged people to:
“take back our voices and stand for what we believe in.”
This latest incident highlights a recurring problem in modern politics: campaigns borrowing the emotional weight of rock anthems without artist consent. In an era of instant fan backlash and swift legal action, it’s a risky move.
Linkin Park have drawn the line again, and fans are firmly in their corner. Some songs aren’t campaign tools. They’re lifelines -and fans won’t let anyone forget that.
A reddit thread is erupting with fans quoting Shinoda’s iconic lines from their 2007 release Hands Held High –
“My brother had book he would hold with pride
with a little red cover with a broken spine
on the back he hand wrote a quote inside
when the rich wage war it’s the poor who die.
Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
stuttering and mumbling for the nightly news to replay
the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
both scared and angry like, ‘what did he say?'”
Read More > The Evolution of 90’s Nu-Metal Superstars
An entity of flesh and bones in pursuit of becoming a higher being. A connoisseur of the mystic arts and everything musical. His origins are unknown, and so are his true motives.
