Hope Trump respects their wishes…

The family of late rock legend Tom Petty is taking a stand against Donald Trump, following Trump playing Petty’s iconic song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sending the President of the United States a cease-and-desist letter, the family are stating that the use of the song was “in no way authorised”.

“Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind,” the statement read. “Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.”

“We believe in America and we believe in democracy,” the family continued. “But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we are complicit in this usage.”

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers co-founder Benmont Tench III echoed their sentiment, reposting their statement along with his own, stating “I in no way approve of Trump even whistling any piece of music associated with our band. I hope that’s clear enough.”

Petty’s family aren’t alone in asking the President to not play his music, with artists such as Neil Young, Adele, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, Pharrell and countless more asking the same.

Petty, who passed away from an accidental drug overdose at 66 in 2017, said that ‘I Won’t Back Down’ had the biggest impact on his fans, who swarmed him with messages about how it got them through tough times. So hopefully Trump respects his family’s wishes. You can read the statement in full below.