Johnny Marr Denounces Donald Trump’s Use of the Smiths Song at Campaign Rally: ‘Consider This S— Shut Down’

Heaven knows Johnny Marr is miserable now after finding out that Donald Trump played a Smiths song before a campaign rally.

A video posted by ABC presidential campaign reporter Soorin Kim on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the Smiths’ “Hatful of Hollow” hit “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” playing during a Trump rally in South Dakota back in September. The video was in response to political reporter Ben Jacobs’ tweet that the Smiths’ music was also played before Trump’s rally in New Hampshire on Monday.

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The band’s former guitarist took to the platform on Tuesday night to denounce the use of the song, writing: “Ahh…right…OK. I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now.”

Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, is running for a second term despite having been impeached twice and indicted in several states on felony counts including falsifying business records, mishandling classified documents, conspiracy and racketeering. On Tuesday night, Trump won the New Hampshire Primary, taking him one step closer to being nominated by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate. He faces only one significant opponent in the primary, Nikki Haley, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race last week. The 2024 election is likely to be a rematch of 2020, with Trump and current President Joe Biden going head to head once again.

Trump has faced an uphill battle with the use of music at his rallies, with many artists refusing to be associated with the politician. The list of musicians who have spoken out against Trump using their songs include Adele, Aerosmith, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns n’ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Nickelback, Ozzy Osbourne, Panic! at the Disco, Pharrell Williams, Phil Collins, Prince, Queen, R.E.M., Rihanna, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Village People and the White Stripes.

The Smiths frontman Morrissey has not yet spoken out against the use of the song. Though the singer has made headlines for his support of Brexit and anti-immigrant groups, he has previously criticized Trump and said in a 2017 interview with German outlet Der Spiegel that if he could push a button to kill him, he would do it “for the safety of the human race.” He later retracted the statement. Marr, on the other hand, has been outspoken against right-wing British politicians praising the Smiths. When former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron selected the band’s song “This Charming Man” on the BBC’s “Desert Island Discs,” Marr wrote on X: “Stop saying that you like the Smiths, no you don’t. I forbid you to like it.”

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