Lara Trump Claims Her New Song Is Being Shadow-Banned
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, alleges that music streaming platforms have shadow-banned her newly released song. Lara, a former television producer and wife of Eric Trump, covered Tom Petty’s 1989 song “I Won’t Back Down” on September 29. She claims that despite her song ranking 31st on the iTunes charts, it is difficult to find on streaming platforms due to its alleged “political” nature, which she believes is part of a broader trend of conservative “censorship.”
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Lara Trump expressed her frustration, specifically calling out Apple. She posted screen recordings and screenshots showing the song’s unavailability when searched for on Apple Music. Eric Trump also weighed in, suggesting that Apple was “shadow banning” Lara’s song, which had initially ranked 31st on iTunes. He mentioned that Lara’s name was hardly searchable and that the song itself could not be found.
In an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, Lara Trump discussed her allegations, stating that conservatives are accustomed to such treatment, including censorship and shadow-banning. She also mentioned that her song was not played on the radio due to its political nature.
The Independent has reached out to Apple, Amazon, and Spotify for comment on Lara Trump’s claims.
Lara Trump’s claims have generated mixed reactions on X. While some users criticized her as “entitled” and criticized her song, others defended her, suggesting that she was facing discrimination based on her name. Lara Trump began her music career earlier this year, sharing videos of herself playing the piano. She clarified that she is not aiming to become a professional singer but simply wants to share her love for music.
This situation is reminiscent of a previous incident where Donald Trump received a cease and desist letter from Tom Petty’s family for using “I Won’t Back Down” at a rally in 2020. The family emphasized that the song’s use was unauthorized and inconsistent with Tom Petty’s values of unity and opposition to hate and discrimination.