Actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have attacked Republican frontrunner 2024 Donald Trump for using a speech from their recent film in a campaign ad without express consent.
The former president posted a video of Damon’s monologue as Nike marketing and sales rep Sonny Vaccaro in the Affleck-directed film Air on his Truth Social Saturday.
It shows Trump stepping off planes and greeting his supporters while Damon says, ‘Money can buy almost anything.’ It can’t buy you immortality, which you have to earn.’
Damon then talks about how you face adversity when those who once supported you try to put you down in the film about Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan that Trump used for his new campaign ad, complete with an AI-produced image by him kneeling in prayer.
But Damon and Affleck’s production company says the Trump campaign never asked them for permission to use the speech and is now banning the 2024 candidate from using any footage.
Former President Donald Trump posted a new campaign ad on his Truth social network featuring Matt Damon’s monologue as Nike marketing and sales rep Sonny Vaccaro in the Ben Affleck-directed film Air.
The two actors claim the 2024 presidential candidate was not given permission to use the monologue
The video released by Trump on Saturday shows various photos and scenes from the former president’s childhood, while Damon says, “I’m going to look you in the eye and tell you the future.”
“It’s an American story, and that’s why Americans are going to love it.”
Then, images of Trump’s first campaign as president are shown, with Damon saying, “People are going to build you up, God they will, because when you’re great and new, we love you.”
“Man, we’re building you into something that doesn’t exist; You’re gonna change the damn world.
‘But, you know what? “Once they’ve built you as high as they can, they’re going to tear you down again,” Damon says while the screen displays images from newscasts about Trump’s indictment and the Mar-a-Lago raid, when the FBI uncovered classified documents at his Florida estate.
“It’s the most predictable pattern. We’re building you into something that doesn’t exist, and that means you have to be that thing, all day, every day,” Damon says in the film. “That’s how it works, and we do it over and over again.”
“And I’m telling you the truth: you will be attacked, betrayed, exposed and humiliated,” he continues as the video features New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Mitch McConnell and New York courts.
“And you will survive that,” the speech continues, showing Trump walking with secret service agents.
“Many people can climb this mountain; It’s the way down that breaks her ’cause that’s the moment you’re really alone and then what are you gonna do?
“Can you muster the will to go through all the pain and get back up?” “That will be the defining question of your life,” the video continues, showing an AI-generated image of Trump holding his right knee in prayer located directly behind his left foot.
The commercial then shows footage from Trump’s 2024 campaign as Damon says, “And I think you already know the answer, and that’s why we’re all here.”
He reveals that Damon really plays the role in the film, going on to say, “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps in it.” Then it makes sense.
“The rest of us just want to touch that awesomeness.”
“We need you in these shoes, not for you to have purpose in life, but for us to have purpose in our lives.”
He concludes, “Everyone will be forgotten when our time here is up.” Except for you, you will be remembered forever, because some things are eternal – and your story will make us fight and never to give up.”
The video then dissolves into a crowd chanting “USA, USA” at one of Trump’s rallies, before showing a donation screen that reads “Make America Great Again.”
It has been shared over 10,700 times on Trump’s social media page and has received over 34,000 likes.
The video released on Saturday shows an AI-generated image of Trump kneeling in prayer
It includes news reports about the impeachment against Trump and the Mar-a-Lago raid, while Damon’s character says people will “pull you down.”
But after the video was released, a spokesman for Artists Equity, Damon and Affleck’s production company, told the Daily Beast that the Trump campaign did not have permission to use the monologue.
“We were not aware of, did not consent to, and did not endorse or authorize Air’s audio recordings to be used by the Trump campaign for political advertising or any other purpose,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“We hereby expressly state that if the Trump campaign uses any material from Air that requires authorization or consent, we do not provide such consent.”
Both Damon and Affleck have previously expressed their disgust for the former president, with Damon publicly endorsing Clinton in 2016.
Just a year later, he called Trump’s response to the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, “absolutely despicable.”
Affleck continued to support Democrats in 2020, criticizing Trump as “cheesy” in a 2017 interview with The Guardian.
“You knew you were at a cheesy party when Donald Trump was there,” he said at the time. “He would circle her somehow.”
has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Damon portrays Nike marketing and sales rep Sonny Vaccaro in the film about the shoe company’s partnership with NBA star Michael Jordan
This isn’t the first time the former president has come under criticism for allegedly using copyrighted materials.
In 2019, Twitter removed a video posted by Trump featuring music from “The Dark Knight Rises” after Warner Bros. allegedly filed a lawsuit.
It featured “Why Do We Fall?” by composer Hans Zimmer. from the 2012 film and Warner Brothers, which owns the Batman franchise, wasn’t satisfied.
“The use of Warner Bros.” “The soundtrack to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in the campaign video was unauthorized,” the film studio told Buzzfeed News. “We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed.”
Just a day later, Trump’s Twitter feed was left with a dead link that read, “This media has been disabled due to a notice from the copyright owner.”
And earlier this year, the band REM slammed the then-president for retweeting a meme that used their song “Everybody Hurts” to poke fun at the Democrats.
Created by Youtuber CarpeDonktum, the parody shows Trump delivering his State of the Union address as the camera cuts to the pouting faces of Democrats watching his speech.
“Assholes @CarpeDonktum created the meme.” #PresidentA**hole retweeted it. Measures have been taken to stop this. “@jack you gotta get in on this,” band bassist Mike Mills tweeted on Friday.
There was a similar message on the band’s Twitter page: “World Leader PRETEND!!!!” Congress, media – haunt this faker!!! Love, REM’
Their complaints did not go unheeded, as the video was promptly removed after Mills and the band’s publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, complained of copyright infringement.