Rock band R.E.M. lashed out at Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wednesday after Trump took the stage at a rally in Washington D.C. to the tune of one of their best-known songs.
"Go f*ck yourselves, the lot of you — you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men," lead singer Michael Stipe said in a statement to The Daily Beast. "Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign."
Trump and Cruz both spoke at an event protesting the White House's proposed nuclear arms agreement with Iran, which now has enough Senate support to withstand a vote criticizing it. Trump appeared with the band's hit, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" playing in the background.
Bassist Mike Mills quickly stated, "cease and desist" on Twitter in response to media questions. He later described the former reality show star as an "orange clown" seeking attention:
The band also released a statement on Facebook urging fans to remember there were "things of greater importance" involved than the use of their song.
"The media and the American voter should focus on the bigger picture, and not allow grandstanding politicians to distract us from the pressing issues of the day and of the current Presidential campaign," it read.
Trump was also criticized by Neil Young this past June, when the Republican candidate used Young's song "Rockin' In The Free World" during his campaign launch. Young stated that he did not allow Trump to use the song, and also identified himself as a supporter of Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).