Kenny Loggins slammed President Donald Trump for sharing an apparently AI-generated video of him dumping shit on “No Kings” protesters, soundtracked to Loggins’ classic Top Gun song, “Danger Zone.”
“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of ‘Danger Zone,’” Loggins said in a statement. “Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately.”
Trump shared the video (which appears to have originated on the Trump meme page @xerias_x) on his Truth Social page on Saturday, Oct. 18, in conjunction with the massive and peaceful nationwide protests. In it, “Danger Zone” plays as an AI version of Trump, wearing a crown and piloting a military fighter jet emblazoned with “King Trump,” dumps what sure looks like feces on protesters. (Loggins’ statement refers to it as “brown sludge.”)
Beyond the allegedly unauthorized use of “Danger Zone,” Loggins said of the video, “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us.”
The singer-songwriter continued: “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. 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.”
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As of publication, the original video is still on up on social platform X, as well as Trump’s Truth Social page, with the recording of “Danger Zone” still intact. Because the video was not created by Trump or the White House, Loggins’ likely best recourse will be to file copyright complaints with X and Truth Social.
Loggins now joins a long list of musicians who’ve been frustrated by Trump, or his surrogates and supporters, using their music. While those dustups have often centered around songs being played at campaign rallies, the Loggins situation most closely resembles an incident from last year when then-Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung (now White House communications director) posted a short clip featuring Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” Beyoncé’s team told Rolling Stone that the musician did not give the campaign permission to use the Lemonade track and threatened to send a cease-and-desist letter. Cheung’s post with the video was eventually deleted.
