▶ Watch Video: Taxpayer-paid Trump-focused “Love Me” ad hits airwaves
Attorneys for artist JMSN, whose song “Love Me” was used in one of President Trump’s taxpayer-funded ads, have sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles demanding that the Trump administration stop using his song.
Attorneys for JMSN, real name Christian Berishaj, say the use of the song is a violation of federal copyright law. In an announcement, the attorneys demanded the White House withdraw the advertisement from all scheduled airings, remove all online copies of the ad with the song, and “provide a written accounting of every airing and online posting, including the date, time, network or station, market, program, and total media spend.”
JMSN is represented by former White House ethics czar Norman Eisen, who served during former President Barack Obama’s tenure. Eisen’s group Democracy Defenders Action and Ballard Spahr LLP are also listed as Berishaj’s representation. The news of the cease-and-desist letter was first reported by journalist Yashar Ali.
The White House rolled out an advertising campaign last week that aired on CBS News and the other networks. At least three distinct ads have been run on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, with a combined spend of almost $2.5 million according to advertisement tracking firm AdImpact. Because the White House has classified them as “Public Service Announcements,” the total exact amount spent is not known.
The first ad features “Love Me” playing as Mr. Trump says, “We will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America” as flash-cut shots from the president’s second administration appear with text on screen.
The photos show the president at rallies, pardoning turkeys, at the White House with Christmas decorations, standing with the FIFA trophy, surrounded by flags, flanked by military leaders, outside the Taj Mahal and more.
The ad repeatedly flashes “America will never be a communist country” on screen and also touts his administration’s tax cuts and other broad expressions of support for domestic manufacturing and law enforcement in text on screen. It ends with the voice of Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, declaring, “He’s the toughest, most resilient (man) I’ve ever met and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”
JMSN said on social media that he had never granted the White House a license for the use of “Love Me.”
“To anybody who has followed my career and knows what I stand for and built my career on, it should go without saying that I would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign,” he posted on X.
A White House official previously told CBS News that the TV spots are public service announcements and are “clearly not political.” The official noted that Mr. Trump is not on the ballot for midterm elections this year, and that the ads don’t have a call to action.
A White House spokesperson said the ads “are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.”
The White House has not yet responded to an inquiry about the cease-and-desist letter.
Taxpayer funds are also being used to air a 30-second TV ad that mirrors one shared by Mr. Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, as the White House continues to air what they call “public service announcements” centered around the president ahead of November’s midterms.
The latest spot, titled the “Final Battle,” debuted over the weekend and featured Mr. Trump walking down a hallway as his voice talks about demolishing the “deep state,” expelling “warmongers from our government,” routing “the fake news media,” and liberating “America from these villains once and for all.”
It’s a direct copy of a video posted on Truth Social by Mr. Trump in January 2024, with the only change coming at the end with the replacement of Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign logo with the text “Paid for by the U.S. Government” instead.
Another ad, titled “Celebrating The Enduring Spirit,” features audio of Mr. Trump’s July 3, 2026, remarks at Mount Rushmore.
The cease-and-desist sent by Berishaj follows public records requests sent by Democracy Forward, a left-leaning watchdog group, to the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget seeking more internal information about the TV spots. Treasury and OMB did not respond to requests for comment about these record requests.
Some Republicans have started to criticize the ads, with GOP Sen. John Kennedy saying Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves.”
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not running for reelection, said Monday that it was “not appropriate PSA” and compared it to Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban.
“You know, Orban,” Tillis said. “Yeah, he used taxpayer dollars to communicate his political view, and he lost his ass in an election too.”
