Footage of André Rieu and Emma Kok, captured during a live performance, has been used without permission in a promotional video supporting Donald Trump. The video, which was shared by Elon Musk on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has drawn sharp criticism from Rieu’s family, who condemned the content as “disgusting.”
The video opens with a montage portraying Trump as a superhero, boxing champion, and gladiator, interspersed with excerpts from his speeches advocating violent retaliation against perceived threats. A segment featuring a young Emma Kok, a 16-year-old violinist and singer, appears briefly, but the sound accompanying her image is not from her performance. André Rieu, the famed Dutch violinist and conductor, is also shown in the clip.
Pierre Rieu, André’s son, spoke to Dutch media outlet AD, expressing outrage over the video’s violent messaging. “Texts like ‘if you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours’ are horrible and violent,” he said, emphasizing that neither Rieu nor Kok had been approached for permission to use their likenesses.
Despite the unauthorized use of the footage, Rieu and Kok’s teams have chosen not to pursue legal action. Instead, they are opting for a low-profile response, hoping the controversy will fade quickly. “The less attention, the faster this will be over,” Rieu told AD. He expressed confidence that the video would soon be buried in the fast-moving content stream of Musk’s platform.
The incident raises questions about consent and ethical boundaries in the use of artistic performances for political purposes. Neither Rieu nor Kok has expressed support for the video or its message.