The Hayes family said Feb. 24 that it has reached a settlement with President Donald Trump over a copyright dispute involving the 1966 hit “Hold On, I’m Coming.” In a post on X, Isaac Hayes III announced that the estate and family had settled the lawsuit and said they were “satisfied with the outcome,” while providing no description of what the parties agreed to.
The lawsuit had been filed in August 2024 by the Hayes estate, accusing Trump and the Trump campaign of using the song without permission in videos and campaign appearances. The estate alleged that the Trump campaign used the track 133 times during Trump’s 2020 and 2024 presidential bids, and it sought damages on allegations of copyright infringement.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, and David Porter co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming.” The estate also pointed to the role of the Trump campaign and several of Trump’s allies in the alleged use of the copyrighted recording.
In September 2024, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. granted the Hayes estate a preliminary injunction. The injunction compelled the campaign to stop using the song in any appearances or videos, setting up a legal fight over whether the campaign’s use violated copyright law even as the case moved forward.
The filing and later proceedings included statements from both sides about whether the campaign had already stopped using the song. Lawyers for Trump said they had agreed to cease using the track before the judge’s ruling, and Ronald Coleman, Trump’s personal legal counsel, told reporters after a 2024 hearing that “The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone, and if the Hayes family feels that it hurts or annoys them, that’s fine, we’re not going to force the issue.”
Coleman also faced claims within the case itself that the estate could not substantiate ownership or harm. In an earlier court filing, lawyers for Trump and the campaign argued that the Hayes estate and Isaac Hayes Enterprises failed to show they owned the copyright at issue and failed to show they suffered any harm.
The dispute occurred in a broader context of artists objecting to Trump using songs at events. The story cited artists including Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA and Celine Dion as having objected to Trump’s use of their music during events in prior years.
After the settlement announcement, the White House referred questions to Trump’s personal legal counsel. An email sent to Ronald Coleman was not immediately returned.