Lindsey Graham slams change to iconic bomber jacket for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday slammed a decision to apparently remove Taiwanese and Japanese flags from Tom Cruise’s iconic jacket in the “Top Gun” sequel slated to premiere next summer.

In the newly released trailer for the film, the Japanese and Taiwanese flags appear to have been removed from Cruise’s jacket and replaced with similar colors.

The movie is being made by Paramount Pictures, but one of the company’s partners is Chinese tech giant Tencent, which some have speculated led to the change, CNN reported.{mosads}

“That’s the power of Chinese money in the modern world that kind of sucks,” Graham said in an interview with TMZ when asked about the Chinese company potentially putting pressure on Paramount Pictures to change the patches on the jacket.

“I hate to see the flag removed because of Chinese financing,” he added.

Graham noted that many members of his generation were fans of the original 1986 blockbuster, noting it made them want to be fighter pilots.

He also said he still plans to watch the highly anticipated sequel, “even with that problem.”

When asked whether President Trump should weigh in on the controversy, Graham emphasized that the change was a “private sector decision.”   

“It’s nothing the government can do, but I think it sucks,” he said.

China and Japan have struggled over territorial disputes, including years of controversy in the South China Sea, according to CNN. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, but China still views it as a territory.