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Donald Trump has been the target of lampooning for his “sarcastic” use of Celine Dion’s Oscar-winning song “Titanic” at a recent rally.
Moments before the presidential candidate took the stage in Bozeman, Montana on Friday (August 9), supporters watched as a clip of Dion singing her 1997 song “My Heart Will Go On” played on a big screen.
It’s unclear whether President Trump has sought the rights from Dion, who performed at the Olympic opening ceremony and later criticized her. The Independent has reached out to representatives for Dion and Disney, which now owns 20th Century Fox, which distributed “Titanic,” for comment.
Dion refused to perform at the inauguration when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.
The decision to use the song has been widely mocked on social media, with many pointing out the irony that it is the theme tune to a movie about a sinking ship and was used just days after Kamala Harris appeared to be leading Trump for the first time in the presidential polls.
A new poll has given Democratic candidate Donald Trump a three-point lead, and the song’s release comes a day after the former president held a press conference filled with false claims that drew widespread condemnation.
“Wait a second, did Celine Dion give Trump permission to use a song from Titanic? Rather fitting as his campaign is sinking,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, while another said, “This is so similar to what’s happening with his campaign, the cognitive dissonance is astounding.”
One person added: “Can’t help but laugh. This really fits the analogy of the Trump campaign being a sinking ship.”
Trump has used “My Heart Will Go On” at rallies before, including in November 2020, shortly before he lost the election to Joe Biden.

The Trump campaign has used songs without filing for the rights before: In January 2024, The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr reacted in disbelief to a video of the band’s 1984 song “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” being performed at a Trump rally.

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In July 2020, the family of the late Tom Petty released a statement opposing President Trump’s use of the song “I Won’t Back Down” during his election campaign.
Trump played the 1989 hit at a rally in Tulsa, but Petty’s estate said it had no permission to do so. In a statement, the family said Trump’s campaign was “leaving too many Americans and common sense behind.”
“The late Tom Petty and his family firmly oppose racism and discrimination of any kind,” they continued. “Tom Petty would never want his songs to be used in a hate campaign. He loved bringing people together.”

The following month, Neil Young sued Trump for copyright infringement, claiming two of his songs were used in a “campaign of ignorance and hate.”