Actual Picture of Dave Grohl Sporting a MAGA Hat?

In August 2024, a photograph of Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl apparently carrying a MAGA hat — referring to the Trump marketing campaign slogan “Make America Nice Once more”—indicating his help for former U.S. President Donald Trump, went viral. The {photograph} appeared on X with this assertion attributed to Grohl: “President Trump taking part in ‘My Hero’ [referencing a Foo Fighters’ song] throughout his journey again to the White Home is the glory of my lifetime.”

The above {photograph} is a manipulated picture and never an genuine depiction of Grohl on the time. The MAGA hat was edited onto Grohl’s head, and Grohl didn’t say the phrases attributed to him. Quite, the Foo Fighters consultant mentioned the band had not granted permission to the Trump marketing campaign to make use of their music. As such, we charge this declare as “Faux.”

Utilizing Google’s reverse-image search device, we traced the {photograph} again to November 2023.

The unique picture appeared in Australian media in November 2023 and confirmed Grohl leaving a resort in Perth, carrying a black cap. PerthNow, a neighborhood newspaper, shared the picture, crediting photographer Justin Benson-Cooper. In keeping with the information report, Grohl was staying within the Ritz Carlton, forward of a efficiency along with his band. The lettering on the black cap he was carrying mentioned, “HOPE, The Mission.”

Grohl could be seen in different pictures carrying the identical outfit and black cap.

(Screenshot through PerthNow)

Grohl vs. Trump

On Aug. 23, 2024, at a Trump rally in Arizona, the Trump marketing campaign used the Foo Fighters music “My Hero” to introduce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onstage. Kennedy was an erstwhile presidential candidate who dropped out of the race to endorse Trump. 

However the band was not completely happy about the usage of their music.

A consultant for the Foo Fighters advised Entertainment Weekly, “Foo Fighters weren’t requested permission, and in the event that they had been they might not have granted it. Additionally any royalties acquired because of this use can be donated to the Harris/Walz marketing campaign.”

The band’s official X account additionally denied giving the Trump marketing campaign permission to make use of the music:

Nevertheless, the Trump marketing campaign disputed this. Spokesperson Steven Cheung told media shops that the marketing campaign had acquired a license to play the music. Cheung quote-tweeted an Independent article to that impact in a publish wherein he referenced two different Foo Fighters songs, writing, “It is Instances Like These details matter, do not be a Pretender.” In keeping with the Unbiased, the publication had “seen paperwork showing to substantiate that the marketing campaign had certainly licensed the music from BMI’s Songview service.”

Grohl has been crucial of Trump previously. In a 2018 GQ interview, he mentioned:

Hear, who cares what I take into consideration weapons or faith, however the factor about Trump that stings essentially the most is that this: he simply looks like an enormous jerk. Proper? I do know a variety of great individuals who do not share my politics and you may wager tomorrow evening within the stadium not everybody will share the identical opinion or maintain the identical views. However once I sing ‘My Hero’ they are going to all sing it with me. Within the three hours that I’m on stage, none of that issues.

The picture in query is thus a manipulated model of an older picture and the Foo Fighters have disputed the Trump marketing campaign’s use of their music.

Sources