Song

Kenny Loggins is speaking out against U.S. President Donald Trump using his song Danger Zone in an AI video posted to his Truth Social account in response to the “No Kings” protests over the weekend.

In a statement shared with Variety on Monday, Loggins, 77, demanded that his song be removed from the AI video showing Trump in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be fecal matter on “No Kings” protesters.

“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of Danger Zone. Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” Loggins said in the statement.

“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,” Loggins continued.

“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.”

Loggins said that he hopes “we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.”

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The Loggins song featured in the AI video was famously used in the 1986 Top Gun film, which is what the AI video appears to be paying homage to.

In response to a request for comment on the video, a representative for the White House reportedly sent Variety a Top Gun meme that read: “I feel the need for speed.”

Millions of people marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. on Saturday for “No Kings” demonstrations, decrying what participants see as the government’s swift drift into authoritarianism under Trump.

People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” packed New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago.

Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Mont., and at hundreds of smaller public spaces.

The official White House account on X reacted to “No Kings” day by sharing an image of Trump and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance wearing crowns above an image of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer wearing sombreros.

“We’re built different. Have a good night, everyone. 👑,” the caption read.

Trump, meanwhile, was spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” the president said in a Fox News interview that aired early Friday.

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‘No Kings’ protests aimed at Trump call for end to authoritarian rule

Trump’s Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The “No Kings” coalition responded to Johnson’s comments, referring to the protest as the “Hate America rally” and blaming it for “the ongoing government shutdown.”

“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings,” the group said, adding that they will “see everyone on October 18.”

The “No Kings” protests first took place in hundreds of American cities on June 14 during a military parade in Washington that marked the U.S. army’s 250th anniversary, which coincided with Trump’s birthday.

The protests were held to counter what organizers said were Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday (which was also Flag Day). The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement — which stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement — and is made up of members of the American public who say they stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

Protesters have called for Trump to be “dethroned,” as they compare his actions to those of a king and not a democratically elected president.

“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services,” the group says on its website, referring to the Trump administration and its policies. “They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies.”

— With files from The Associated Press

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