Matt Damon is laughing off the Donald Trump campaign ad that lifted from his film “Air” without permission.
During a Friday appearance on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” which was taped before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Wallace asked Damon about the Trump campaign ad that was released in June.
Damon, who is now back in theaters with “Oppenheimer,” responded with a chuckle and said, “I think they took it down… We said ‘You don’t have our permission to use that.’”
However, as Wallace pointed out, as of this publishing, the campaign ad is still live and untouched on Truth Social, where it was originally posted.
To that, Damon shrugged and said, “I don’t know what to make of it,” adding with a laugh, “I’m glad they like our writing.”
The campaign ad in question overlays images and videos of the former president with audio of Damon’s inspirational monologue from the 2023 film “Air,” inspired by Nike’s historic partnership with Michael Jordan.
“Money can buy you almost anything, but it can’t buy you immortality. That you have to earn,” Damon’s character says as the video begins. The video also referenced Trump’s first 2023 indictment, displaying cable news coverage of the announcement while Damon’s voice warns “Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can, they’re gonna tear you back down.”
Shortly after the ad debuted, Artists Equity, the production company behind “Air” co-founded by Damon and Ben Affleck, issued the following statement:
“We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from Air being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement.”
Damon and Wallace continued to joke about the ad later in the interview when Wallace teed up a discussion about Damon’s decades-long friendship and creative partnership with Affleck and their decision to create Artists Equity.
“The first movie that you put out, you and Ben, he directed, you starred in, is ‘Air,’” Wallace explained, “in which you play Sonny Vaccaro, the agent who’s trying to persuade Michael Jordan to sign with Nike–“
“And also trying to write speeches for the Trump campaign,” Damon quipped.
After playing a clip from the film, Wallace kept the laughs going, adding, “So I guess that the Trump campaign could not use the shoes part for their video. It just wouldn’t have made sense. No, he’s got Brogans or something… it wouldn’t have worked.”
