“We had no prior knowledge, did not consent, and do not endorse or condone the re-use of aerial footage or audio for political advertising or other purposes during the Trump campaign.” production company founded by actors and friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for using a monologue from their latest film in a campaign video released by the former US president and new candidate. Republicans to occupy the White House by 2024.
Last Saturday, June 10, Donald Trump released a video that he also wants to use to raise funds for his campaign on Truth Social, the social network that opened in 2022 after being blasted from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for his arson messages The new video features archival footage and photos of the former president – both from his youth and from his time in the White House – playing in the background as an inspirational monologue from the character played by Matt Damon in “Air,” the film that set the Story Told, Played The story of the Nike executives who convinced Michael Jordan to sign with the brand, an alliance that transformed the course of sports fashion with its now-iconic sneakers and spawned a multi-million dollar industry.
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“Money can buy almost anything, but not immortality. You have to earn that. “I’ll look you in the eye and tell you the future, it’s an American story,” Damon, who plays Sonny Vaccaro in the film, voices in the background. That sentence begins a montage of just over two minutes, in which the head of marketing keeps trying to convince the NBA player to accept a sponsorship with the sports brand. In the images accompanying the speech, Trump can be seen stepping out of the helicopter, looking at the camera, being cheered on by hundreds of people at rallies, posing in front of the American flag, images from his inauguration day and with the troops. .. There are also fragments in which his wife Melania Trump can be seen. A video that is still available on the social network and has almost 37,000 likes.
“Did you know? As soon as they get you as high as possible, they will knock you out,” the monologue says elsewhere. Then, to the very words, images appear about the news of his indictment and the police files at his residence in Mar-a-Lago and Trump’s arrival in Manhattan to testify before the New York Attorney General about possible irregularities in his business.
A campaign video lasting about two minutes, which actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also served as directors on Air, dislike. “In particular, with respect to all rights to which we are entitled under US copyright and intellectual property laws, we hereby expressly state that in the event of any use of Air material by the Trump campaign, for which a permit or consent is required, if you do not do so, you are giving such consent,” reads a message shared on the production company’s social networks.
We are not aware of, have not consented to, do not advocate or authorize the use of Air’s footage or audio during the Trump campaign for political advertising or any other purpose.
—Artists Equity (@artists_equity) June 10, 2023
It’s not the first time the Trump campaign has used content sourced from the Hollywood industry. During his tenure as President, he used images, music and videos from the hit series Game of Thrones or the film The Dark Knight. The Republican has also been criticized in the past for playing songs such as Twisted Sister’s “Hallelujah” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” or Tom Petty’s “I Wont’ Back Down” at political events without the permission of their authors . “The Rolling Stones have not given Trump permission to use their songs. In fact, we asked him to stop using them,” the group pointed out to him in 2016. Other musicians who have banned Trump from using their songs since the beginning of his political career include Pharrell Williams, Aerosmith, Adele and Neil Young. But it’s the first time Trump and his team have used a full monologue.
It’s also not surprising how the producer has reacted to Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, especially given what the latter has commented on in the past. In August 2015, the Oscar-winning actor called Donald Trump “xenophobic” and “dehumanizing” when he called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “criminals” in his pre-candidate speech. “He’s talking about everyone living south of our border in inhumane conditions. He’s talking about my wife [de origen argentino]You’re talking about my daughters. “It’s serious that he’s doing so well in the polls and if you listen to the things he’s saying they’re so xenophobic and crazy that it’s unbelievable that so many people are willing to vote for him.” said Damon.