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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company released a statement Saturday condemning the unauthorized use of a monologue from their recent film Air in a new donation-seeking campaign video posted by Donald Trump.
The two-and-a-half minute video, posted on Truth Social, features the near-entirety of the audio from the Damon-delivered speech, which in the film is spoken in an effort to get Michael Jordan to sign with Nike, but is used by Trump to get MAGA Nation to part with their money.
“We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio fromAirbeing repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use,” Affleck and Damon’s Artists Equity said in a statement Saturday after the campaign video was posted (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“Specifically in terms of any & all rights available to us under U.S. copyright and intellectual property law, we hereby, expressly give notice that in the case of any use of material fromAirby the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent.”
Trump has a long, long history of using others’ art without approval on the campaign trail, as artists ranging from Neil Young, the Rolling Stones and Queen to Pharrell Williams, Rihanna and the Village People all decrying (and cease-and-desisting) their music being played at Trump rallies. The former president has also ruffled the feathers of Hollywood, copyright-speaking, with unauthorized usage of clips from Game of Thrones and The Dark Knight Returns.
Despite Artists Equity’s disapproval, Trump’s Air-stealing campaign video remained up on Truth Social at press time; alas, given all his other, more damning legal woes, what’s a little copyright infringement?
