Kenny Loggins is objecting to the use of his music in a social media post showing an artificial intelligence-generated video of President Donald Trump dumping excrement from a fighter jet on last weekend’s “No Kings” protests.
The video, posted Saturday night on the Republican president’s Truth Social platform, was accompanied by Loggins’ song “Danger Zone,” which appears on the soundtrack of the blockbuster 1986 Tom Cruise fighter pilot movie “Top Gun.” Loggins, in a statement Monday on his website, said he was not asked for permission and called for the video to be removed.
“I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us,” Loggins wrote. “Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together. We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic.”
As of Tuesday morning, the video remained on Truth Social. Numerous musicians, including Adele and Bruce Springsteen, have objected over the past decade to Trump’s use of their material at campaign rallies and elsewhere.
Representatives for Loggins responded to The Associated Press’ request for additional comment Tuesday by reissuing his statement from the day before. The White House responded to a request for comment with a still from “Top Gun” with the caption “I FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED,” paraphrasing one of the film’s famous lines.
Trump has used music on AI videos at other times, including Blue Oyster Cult’s ”Don’t Fear the Reaper” on a post in early October about Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
Large crowds turned out around the country Saturday for the latest round of “No Kings” rallies, at which participants denounced what they see as the authoritarian policies of the president. Trump on Sunday dismissed the rallies as a “joke” and told reporters, “I’m no king.”