Key facts
- Taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump are facing scrutiny.
- Recording artist Christian Berishaj, performing as JMSN, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the White House over the use of his song "Love Me" without permission.
- Watchdog group Public Citizen filed complaints with federal regulators, arguing the ads are campaign advertisements funded by taxpayer resources.
- Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy questioned the use of funds for the ad campaign, stating $20 million was diverted from the Department of Homeland Security.
- The ads are airing five weeks before midterm elections and have drawn criticism from ethics experts and lawmakers over the use of public funds for political promotion.
Taxpayer-funded television advertisements featuring President Donald Trump have come under fire from a recording artist and a watchdog group, raising questions about the use of public funds for political promotion.
Attorneys for Christian Berishaj, who performs as JMSN, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the White House demanding they stop using his song "Love Me" without permission in one of the ads. The song's chorus repeats the phrase "love me."
Public Citizen filed complaints with federal regulators, arguing that the nationally broadcast ads are campaign advertisements and should not be produced or distributed using taxpayer resources. The group urged broadcasters to stop airing the spots and called for an investigation into whether executive branch officials improperly engaged in partisan political activity.
Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy also questioned the administration's use of funds for the ad campaign, stating in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that $20 million had been diverted from the agency for the spots. They described the administration's defense of using taxpayer dollars for the ads as "absurd as it is offensive."
The White House has previously defended the ads as "public service announcements" intended to promote patriotism, not as campaign ads. The ads conclude with the disclaimer "Paid for by the US Government."
One ad shows Trump declaring "America will never be a communist country," while another combines images of Mount Rushmore with footage of Trump praising a "golden age of America." A third ad, which critics say closely resembles one of Trump's 2024 campaign advertisements, describes a "final battle" against the "deep state."
Critics contend that the spots may violate longstanding restrictions on government propaganda and political activity.