Soft rock legend Kenny Loggins has slammed Donald Trump after the US President used his 1986 hit Danger Zone without permission in a controversial post on his Truth Social platform.
In the post, which followed Saturday's wildly popular 'No Kings' protests across the US, Trump is seen wearing a crown while piloting a fighter jet labelled 'King Trump'. The jet then dumps gallons of faecal matter on a crowd of protesters led by political commentator and social media influencer Harry Sisson.
"This is an unauthorised use of my performance of Danger Zone," says Loggins. "Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately.
"I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. 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."
According to the Copyright Alliance, a Washington, DC. body that advocates for the rights of songwriters, politicians and political campaigns are allowed to use copyrighted works in a way that qualifies as fair use with or without permission from the copyright owner. However, there are several factors that may render the use of copyrighted material as non-fair use, including the purpose and character of the use, as well as any potential negative impact on sales resulting from the use.
Other musicians to have opposed Donald Trump's use of their music in his political campaigning include Aerosmith, the Animals, The Beatles, Phil Collins, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Foo Fighters, Free, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, Linkin Park, Nickelback, Johnny Marr, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Petty, Prince, Queen, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Semisonic, Twisted Sister, Rufus Wainwright, The White Stripes and Neil Young.
According to independent analysts, between 5 and 6.5 million people took part in some 2,700 No Kings protests across the US on Saturday.
