Twitter Explodes After Trump Literally Gets Owned By Nickelback
Twitter users had a field day after President Donald Trump tweeted a video that included a song by the band Nickelback, and the content was removed due to a copyright claim.
Fairly or not, the band has long been used as a yardstick for suckitude in whimsical polls alongside things like lice, cockroaches, and… Donald Trump. So when Trump tweeted a meme featuring the band’s song “Photograph,” some Twitter users reacted in ways that were unkind to both Trump and Nickelback.
But all of that changed, kind of, when the video was removed due to a copyright claim. Blue-check Twitter erupted in a mixture of reluctant praise for the band, and schadenfreude at Trump’s defeat at the hands of intellectual property.
Nickelback had Trump’s video taken down for copyright infringement.?
Trump got owned by Nickelback as the entire world laughs.
If that’s not worthy of impeachment, I don’t know what is. pic.twitter.com/Xaa80pujTM
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 3, 2019
Being so lame that even Nickelback dunks on them? That’s why conservative white America thinks they’re losing, even as they control most levers of power in the country. https://t.co/oJt4UL5FO5
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) October 3, 2019
Trump made me do the impossible: like Nickelback! https://t.co/pzxIu378Uz
— Ethan Bearman (@EthanBearman) October 3, 2019
Ladies & gentlemen, I regret to inform you that the President of the United States has been CANCELED by Nickelback. pic.twitter.com/owPo9eaJhS
— Siraj Hashmi??♂️ (@SirajAHashmi) October 3, 2019
There were a few pro-Trump dissenters.
Nickelback is the worst band in the history of recorded music.
— Dagen McDowell (@dagenmcdowell) October 3, 2019
It’s no wonder everyone hates Nickelback. pic.twitter.com/hOJ07UKVVl
— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) October 3, 2019
Looks like Twitter took it down bc Nickelback complained about copyright – would they have done so if it were anyone but Trump using their song? https://t.co/u4oLiVBfcq
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) October 3, 2019
Matty Yglesias had an interesting principled take.
Copyright should aim to protect creators against real harms to their business like if Trump was just selling pirate Nickelback CDs out of the West Wing.
But nobody’s watching that video *instead of* consuming Nickelback’s legitimate commercial products.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 3, 2019
I would carve out some exemptions if my content was shared by the president on a platform reaching tens of millions people.
— Christopher D. White (@ZanderKelly30) October 3, 2019
The most bitter complaint came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress (no, the other one) Kristy Swanson.
Hey @Nickelback this is such a bunch of bull that you would disable the media on this. I bought your song on iTunes 9 hours ago because I loved @realDonaldTrump’s tweet so much & I’ve also always been a fan of you guys. Now I want to return the song & get my nickels back!! https://t.co/IG9PgJ1WNV
— Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) October 3, 2019
Get it? She wants her nickels back!
And there was at least one buzzkill, Twitter-famous towel aficionado Yashar Ali.
2. Again, my point is for all the folks who are saying Nickelback, as a band, asked for the video to be taken down…we have no proof (yet) that that’s the case.
Record and publishing companies *often* have the authority to do this without consulting with the artist. Depends!
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 3, 2019
Yes, AKSHUALLY, all we know for sure is that Trump got owned by someone on behalf of Nickelback. But let’s not ruin this for them.
Watch the official video for “Photograph” above, via Nickelback.
