President Donald Trump took his frequent use of AI videos to a new extreme recently, sharing a visual rendering of himself flying a plane and dumping feces on protesters set to “Danger Zone” — and Kenny Loggins is not happy.
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In a statement posted to his Instagram account on Monday (Oct. 20), the singer-songwriter said that the POTUS’ use of his song in the clip shared Oct. 18 was completely “unauthorized” and that “nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied.”
“I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” he continued. “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. 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,” Loggins added. “There is no ‘us and them’ — that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It’s all of us. We’re in this together, and it is my hope that we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.”
Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump’s video with “Danger Zone” — which was famously used in the 1986 Top Gun movie — comes amid nationwide “No Kings” gatherings protesting the twice-impeached politician’s policies. The video appeared to be Trump’s response to the protests, as it depicts him wearing a crown while flying the plane that unleashes piles of feces onto the heads of AI-generated protestors holding up signs on the streets below.
Such AI videos have become a staple of Trump’s social media activity this past year, but his trend of irritating musicians by using their music without permission has been a consistent part of his political career. Just a couple of weeks prior to Loggins’ response, the members of Blue Öyster Cult distanced themselves from the president after “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was used in an AI clip that mocked Democrats.
And since his first White House term in 2016, Trump has been called out by musicians from Beyoncé to the the Foo Fighters, Adele, Celine Dion and Jack White for allegedly using their music in campaign materials without authorization.
