R.E.M. band members were furious that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz used one of their songs at a rally opposing the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday.
“Go f-ck yourselves, the lot of you – you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men,” lead singer Michael Stripe said in an email to The Daily Beast. “Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign.”
Trump took the stage at the rally to the sounds of R.E.M.’s hit song, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”
Founding band member Mike Mills ordered him to “cease and desist.”
“Personally, I think the Orange Clown will do anything for attention,” Mills continued. “I hate giving it to him.”
Although the band is very upset about this use of their music, they don’t want to let their anger distract American voters from the real issues.
“While we do not authorize or condone the use of our music at this political event, and do ask that these candidates cease and desist from doing so, let us remember that there are things of greater importance at stake here,” the band wrote on its Facebook page. “The media and the American voter should focus on the bigger picture, and not allow grandstanding politicians to distract us from the pressing issues of the day and of the current presidential campaign.”
In his remarks at the rally, Trump said he has never seen a transaction as incompletely negotiated as the Iran deal, and it will lead to the end of Israel.
“They rip us off, they take our money, they make us look like fools, and now they’re back to being who they really are,” he said.
