R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills has said the group is considering pursuing legal action against President Donald Trump after he played two of their songs at a campaign rally.
The US band, who split up in 2011, say they are “exploring all legal avenues” to stop Trump from using their music on the campaign trail.
Days after Trump used the songs at a rally in Milwaukee, Mills described the President as a “fraud” and “con man” and said the band does “not condone the use of our music” by him.
Before Trump took to the stage at Tuesday’s rally, R.E.M’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Losing My Religion’ were both played to the crowd.
We are aware that the President* @realDonaldTrump continues to use our music at his rallies. We are exploring all legal avenues to prevent this, but if that’s not possible please know that we do not condone the use of our music by this fraud and con man.
— Mike Mills ❄️?⛄️ (@m_millsey) January 15, 2020
Mills has rallied against Trump since he first ran for president in 2015 and used the band’s track ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ in his campaign.
“Go fuck yourselves, the lot of you ― you sad, attention grabbing, power-hungry little men,” Mills tweeted at the time.
“Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign.”
This Adderal-deranged idiot is renting our troops out as mercenaries. Republicans? Conservatives? Bueller? https://t.co/6T1iCpvEGL
— Mike Mills ❄️?⛄️ (@m_millsey) January 12, 2020
On Sunday, he also described Trump as an “Adderal-deranged idiot”.
They join the likes of Queen and Rihanna in hitting out at Trump for using their music on the campaign trail.
Earlier this month, Trump was also criticised by System Of A Down‘s Serj Tankian for ordering the assassination of the Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, voicing his hope that the attack doesn’t lead to “another war” in the Middle East.