Former President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara, says her new song, a cover of Tom Petty's “I Won't Back Down,” has been shadowbanned by major streaming platforms, The Independent reported.
A shadowban occurs when a platform (mostly referring to social media) bans a user's content from appearing without letting the user know. The former TV producer and wife of Eric Trump released the song on September 29th, but claimed that it is nearly impossible to find even though it is listed as No. 31 on the iTunes chart.
Lara Trump also claimed to conservative outlet FOX News that the song was shadowbanned for being “too political.” She said it's the latest example in a broad trend of censorship being specifically applied to Republicans and conservatives.
Her husband, Eric Trump, in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), defended her.
“Apple appears to be viscously (sic) shadow banning [Lara's] new song, which immediately upon release, was 31st on the iTunes chart,” he wrote. “Lara's name, when typed in full, is hardly viable and can only be found below ‘Fake News II.' The song itself is unsearchable.”
The former president's daughter-in-law said the song was shadowbanned “on Apple Music, on Spotify, on Amazon Music.” She adds, “They wouldn't put my song on the radio because it was too political.” The Independent has asked the streaming platforms for comment.
Users on X have commented on Trump's allegations, saying that she's “entitled” and that the song “sucked worse.” Others have defended her saying that she “is getting screwed just due to her name.”
Trump started her musical career earlier this year when she posted videos of herself playing the piano, claiming that she was “not trying to be a professional singer.” The 1989 song “I Won't Back Down” was used at a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2020. Petty's family quick sent a cease-and-desist letter to the former President's re-election campaign, later posting a statement on social media clarifying the use of the song was unauthorized.
“Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together,” the statement added.
The song was again used in a rally for Kari Lake, the former candidate for Governor of Arizona. Petty's estate posted on X, saying, “The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down' was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign.”
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