Musician Kenny Loggins says the use of his song “Danger Zone” in a controversial video posted by President Donald Trump over the weekend, in which he appears to throw feces on top of millions of people protesting his administration, was done without permission and he wants it removed from the video “immediately.”
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Loggins would have denied the administration permission to use the song if they had asked, he said in a statement Monday, adding, “I request that my recording in this video be removed immediately.”
On Saturday night, after an estimated 7 million people gathered across the country for a “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration, the president posted on Truth Social an AI-generated video showing him wearing a crown while sitting on a fighter jet emblazoned with the phrase “King Trump.”
The plane then drops a brown liquid material onto the crowd carrying American flags and signs, all while “Danger Zone,” performed by Loggins for the 1986 film “Top Gun,” plays in the background.
The video was quickly shared on all major social platforms, with millions of views.
The White House did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment on Monday, nor did it respond to questions about whether the video would be removed.
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“I can’t imagine why anyone would want their music People, The Rolling Stones, John Fogerty, Cher, Celineito to divide us,” Loggins’ statement read.
Key background
More than a dozen musicians have spoken out after Trump used their music without permission since his first campaign. Neil Young was one of the first, protesting the use of his songs at Trump campaign events in 2016, and subsequently suing Trump after he used “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk” at a campaign rally (Young dropped the lawsuit after Trump lost the 2020 election). Michael Stipe, lead singer of the rock band REM, told Trump’s team to fuck off in 2015 after they used “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” during the campaign. Other artists who have spoken out include Village People, The Rolling Stones, John Fogerty, Cher, Céline Dion and Beyoncé.
This text was originally published in Forbes US.
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