As The Washington Post reports, Jeff Popick—who wrote the U.S.A Freedom Kids’ hit “Freedom’s Call”—plans to sue the Trump campaign for not living up to the spoken agreement made between the star-spangled children’s group and the campaign.
The U.S.A. Freedom Kids performed at a January rally for Trump in Pensacola, Florida, where they were apparently promised a table to sell merchandise after the campaign haggled them out of a $2,500 fee. But when the group arrived and said table did not, the show still went on—catapulting internet parodies of their saccharine sound.
According to Popick, the group was never given any compensation for this performance. Weeks later, the group was asked to perform again, and they traveled from Florida to Iowa to do so. But upon their arrival, the Trump campaign rescinded the offer and asked the brightly outfitted children not to speak to the press.
Popick, who was originally a Trump fan, is now somewhat disillusioned about the election. But mostly he seems confused. “What he’s done to my group or what he’s not done for my group doesn’t necessarily make him the best candidate, it doesn’t make him the worst candidate. I still have to mull that over. He might still be the best candidate as president of the United States—or not,” he told the Post.
The bait-and-switch is vintage Trump—so should we be surprised? As the song admits: “Deal from strength or get crushed every time.”