War between Rolling Stones and Donald Trump takes ‘sinister turn’

They continued: “For a band like the Stones, the United States is a crucial market, so anything that gets in the way of that would be hugely damaging. That’s why people close to them are taking this seriously – it’s not just a war of words, there’s concern about the tangible impact on the group’s touring future.”

A spokesperson for the Rolling Stones reiterated the band’s position and noted the use of Give me shelter was agreed through standard licensing channels and did not involve the band members in any creative or political approval of the film.

The Stones are among a number of major artists – including Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Elton John and Neil Young – who have publicly opposed the use of their work in political contexts related to Trump. Beckman defended the Melania film and suggested that the Stones had responded positively to it.

He said: “We worked very closely with them on that. And it wasn’t a political issue. With the Stones they were like, ‘Oh, you’re making a nice movie.’ They managed to get over the obstacle, so to speak. It’s not politics – it’s just a story about a woman going from bourgeoisie back to the White House, and this movie looks cool, and Brett Ratner is doing a great job, and Melania Trump is focused, and let’s do it. We showed it to them and they were impressed.”