Today in Weird Campaign News: Trump Rips Off Matt Damon for New Ad – Mother Jones
The production company headed by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck said it “did not consent” to Trump’s unauthorized use of “Air”, Affleck’s new sports drama “Air”, which stars Damon and premiered at the SXSW festival in March.ddp images/Sipa/AP
In the wake of his federal criminal indictment, Donald Trump dropped a new video on Truth Social on Saturday. And it is cringey-as-hell. The two-minute spot, complete with gauzy, quasi-cinematic shots of the ex-president walking away from his helicopter like an action hero, is pretty standard messianic Trump fare.
But here’s the weirdest part, reported by Axios today: For its narration, the video steals a monologue performed by Matt Damon in “Air”, the new biographical film about the rise of Air Jordans and the Nike salesman who created them. The film was directed by Ben Affleck, stars Damon, and has absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump.
“You’re going to change the fucking world. But you know what, once they build you as high they possibly can, they’re going to tear you back down,” Damon’s voice is heard saying, as a shot of a stadium filled with Trump supporters morphs into an ABC news headline about the indictment.
I guess the trailer’s creators thought the speech would paint Trump as a dynamic underdog betrayed by the world, and not a man who has been found liable of sexual abuse; accused of inciting a riot to steal an election; and indicted on 37 felony charges.
As is the case for many things that have (allegedly) found their way into Trump’s possession, he had not sought permission. In a statement to Axios, Artists Equity, the production company run by Affleck and Damon, said they did not consent to Trump’s campaign using the dialogue. They added that they don’t “endorse or approve” of any footage or audio from “Air” being used in the former president’s campaign.
Swiping creative properties without permission is nothing new for Trump. From Adele to Neil Young, the GOP candidate’s team is notorious for using songs throughout his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs without the green light from artists.
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners.
Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.
And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.
It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.
Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.
And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.
It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.
Chance Townsend
Arianna Coghill
Inae Oh
Emily Hofstaedter
Clive Thompson
Dan Friedman
Ari Berman
Nina Martin
Anna Merlan
Julia Métraux
Damian Carrington
Julianne McShane
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners.
Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.
Help Mother Jones‘ reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.
Inexpensive, too! Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $19.95.
Award-winning photojournalism.
Stunning video. Fearless conversations.
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting. All Rights Reserved.
Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones’ investigative journalism? We’re a nonprofit (so it’s tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget.
We noticed you have an ad blocker on. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones’ investigative journalism?
Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.
