Donald Trump thought he could use Matt Damon‘s voice to help raise some dough for his campaign, but the famous actor and his buddy Ben Affleck aren’t gonna let it fly.
Trump pushed out a fundraising video on Truth Social last week which was almost entirely centered around a monologue from Damon’s character in the film “Air.” Among some of the lines from Damon, “Money can buy you almost anything, but it can’t buy you immortality.”
Truth Social / @realdonaldtrump
Turns out, Trump didn’t have permission to use the Damon audio, and Artists Equity, the company co-founded by Damon and Affleck that produced “Air” didn’t hold back.
AE released a statement, saying, “We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from Air being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use.”
The statement continues, “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 from Air by the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent.”
“Air” is a film about the rise of Nike, and highlights the company’s pursuit of Michael Jordan in what became the biggest footwear deal of all-time. Damon plays Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro.
Of course, it’s not the first time Trump’s gotten in trouble for using material he didn’t get permission for in promoting himself … he’s gotten hammered for using songs like “Hallelujah,” Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Tom Petty‘s “I Wont’ Back Down.”
Most recently, he was scolded for using the song and image of The Village People’s “Macho Man” during an event at Mar-a-Lago.
So ya … lots of headaches lately for the Trump legal team.
