U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Tuesday shared a video of him in a convenience store where he was approached by a fan.
A man in a white undershirt asked Gaetz, “Is your name Matt?” when confirmed, the man said, “I knew it, I see you on TV all the time.” The man added: “I saw your last interview where you were like ‘how do you feel that people feel they’re offended by what you said,’ and you were like ‘be offended.’” The man laughed with approval and Gaetz asked him, “Is that what you want to see?”
The man responded, “Well, I mean I was like, I was like that guy has some, he’s hardcore, yeah.”
Be Offended pic.twitter.com/SKjBkCrfUC
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 19, 2024
The video concluded with a snippet of the 1989 Tom Petty song “I Won’t Back Down” which fellow MAGA adherents including leader Donald Trump has been warned by the Tom Petty Estate not to use.
In 2020, after the Trump campaign broadcast the song at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma (which was controversially scheduled on Juneteenth), the Tom Petty estate sent a cease-and-desist letter. The estate wrote: “Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind.”
In 2023, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump (now co-chair of the Republican National Committee), stirred the Petty pot again by singing an acoustic version of the song (below).
(Finally) available everywhere!!! pic.twitter.com/af5fIdAQ9C
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) November 19, 2023
The Tom Petty Estate also demanded in November 2020 that MAGA Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake cease using the song in one of her campaign ads. (Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs.)
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. pic.twitter.com/DoT71whO43
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 18, 2022
Petty’s ex-wife, Jane Benyo Petty, also issued a statement condemning Lake’s unauthorized use of the track. She wrote: “Tom Petty would not ever let Kari Lake, an election denier, use his great anthem ‘I Won’t’ Back Down’ to not concede a legitimate election.”