It's not that often that a politician or their campaign uses video game music as part of an advertisement for their reelection, but President Donald Trump's campaign did just that. A tweeted ad in which he touts some of his integral policy decisions features a song from League of Legends.
In the ad, the President goes through his "kept promises" as the League of Legends song plays in the background. Now, the song was obviously chosen for its upbeat quality andepic rhythm and its use in esports for League of Legends had obviously been overlooked.
According to The Washington Post, the song in the ad is called "The Throw Down" by Gregg Lehrman. The song can is available to anyone who signs up with Universal Production Music, which means that someone from Trump's camp may have used this method to use the song for the political ad.
Riot uses music from a variety of sources, including its original music and tracks from third parties. Riot Games Berlin Broadcast Producer stated that he's heard some of the company's tracks in other places and that the feeling is "surreal."
President Trump has been known to use other artists' music at his rallies and other material from his campaign, and some artists have called him out for doing so. The Washington Post's also article mentions Mike Mills of R.E.M., who recently stated that the band will be using legal after Trump used some of the band's music.
"The Throw Down" isn't among the most recognizable tracks used by President Trump. However, it did not go unnoticed by League of Legends and esports fans. While there isn't a legal conflict so far, it seems as though politicians and public individuals should either be more cautious about songs they use or elect to use public domain music.
At least the track wasn't something more recognizable like the Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda theme.
Source: The Washington Post, Twitter