Hollywood Stars Send Trump Letter Requesting AI Legislation

By
Rachel Stevenson
-

Well, would you look at that—Hollywood has come full circle. After years of pearl-clutching, name-calling, and borderline apocalyptic monologues about how President Donald Trump was the harbinger of democracy’s downfall, the entertainment elite are now knocking on his door asking for a favor.

Not just any favor, mind you—they want him to step in and protect their paychecks from the looming specter of artificial intelligence. Yes, the very same Trump they once branded as a “threat to democracy,” an “enemy of America,” and, if we’re quoting Bette Midler’s greatest hits, a man with “no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth.” But now that Big Tech’s AI is coming for their lunch, suddenly, he’s the man of the hour.

Mark Ruffalo, Bette Midler, Ava DuVernay, Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney (a Beatle, no less), and a whole cavalcade of entertainers have signed an open letter to President Trump urging his administration to uphold copyright protections in the face of AI’s rapid rise. Apparently, AI companies like OpenAI and Google are training their models on copyrighted material—scripts, music, artwork, voices, you name it—and the Hollywood crowd isn’t having it. They’re demanding these tech behemoths license the content fairly rather than steamroll over the very laws that have long protected the creative industry.

Now don’t get it twisted—protecting copyright is an important conversation. But the irony here is thicker than a Marvel movie script: the very people who built their careers on progressive causes and relentless Trump-bashing are now appealing to him to defend them from the unchecked greed of Silicon Valley, a bastion of left-wing political support if ever there was one.

These folks spent the last eight years dunking on Trump with the kind of fervor that makes political activists look mild, and now that the wolves are at their door, suddenly, they’re hoping Trump will channel his inner Ronald Reagan and stand up to tech monopolies. You can’t make this stuff up.

Let’s pause to appreciate just how rich this moment really is. These are the same celebrities who marched through the streets in pink hats, boycotted events, refused to attend inaugural ceremonies, and took to Twitter—excuse me, X—to declare that Trump was an existential threat to the Republic.

Ruffalo even claimed Trump was “calling for Americans to kill and harm Americans.” That same Ruffalo is now asking Trump to take a moral stand against AI exploitation. You almost want to send him a copy of The Art of the Deal as a thank-you card.

Here are some of the other things he’s said as well:

The kicker? This isn’t just about protecting their movies or songs. The letter says this issue “goes well beyond the entertainment industry.” They argue that weakening copyright would damage all of America’s knowledge industries—education, journalism, publishing, and more. So it’s not just their careers at stake, they claim—it’s the entire backbone of American intellectual production. And yet, they want Trump—the man they’ve tried to cancel more times than a Netflix original—to lead the charge.

But here’s the thing: unlike the moral theater they’re used to starring in, this time, the stakes are real. AI is a juggernaut, and the tech giants have shown little interest in slowing down. Suddenly, Trump’s tough stance on China, his willingness to call out Big Tech, and his relentless focus on American jobs and industry don’t look so crazy anymore. In fact, they look pretty useful—especially to a bunch of millionaires now worried about their digital doppelgängers taking center stage without a paycheck.

So maybe—just maybe—this is the beginning of a Hollywood reckoning. Maybe this moment will make them realize that slogans and hashtags don’t protect paychecks, that free markets without boundaries can lead to exploitation, and that sometimes, the guy you spent years mocking might be the only one left willing—or able—to defend you. Or, you know, maybe they’ll go right back to trashing him once the ink dries on the executive order. Either way, pass the popcorn.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR