A campaign-style advertisement, apparently funded by taxpayer dollars, that features images of President Donald Trump over a music track titled “Love Me” is raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill and beyond.
The video, which has a duration of about 30 seconds and first aired Wednesday on Newsmax and Fox News, features the president pledging to fight communism, socialism and Marxism in the United States, while touting his administration’s tax cuts, manufacturing policies and law-enforcement efforts.
Over half a dozen Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, as well as Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Steny Hoyer of Maryland, have called for the video to be pulled.
“The advertisement does not have a clear official government purpose and appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions against the use of appropriated funds as part of ‘a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party or candidates,’” Hassan said in a letter directed to the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Trending
The advertisement, which ends by stating that it was “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” has also been criticized by Republican senators, with some even describing the ad as “inappropriate,” and comparing it to the style of Hungary’s former prime minister and longtime right-wing leader.
“It’s not like they need a GoFundMe page to have the dollars to do that sort of ad, and they could do it. But using taxpayer dollars, it feels like Viktor Orbán,” Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana also questioned the video’s legality.
“I don’t generally like to see politicians use public money to pay for their own campaign ads,” Kennedy said.
The cost of airing the ad in local markets across the country has cost the government at least $430,000, according to AdImpact, an organization that tracks media spending.
Outside Capitol Hill, at least one nonprofit has asked government watchdogs to conduct a thorough investigation of the ad, which is described in a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel as potentially in violation of federal law.
“Public Citizen is filing this complaint seeking appropriate investigation and enforcement actions by the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel,” the organization, a think tank dedicated to protecting consumer rights, said in the letter.
“Whether or not President Trump was personally involved in the ad, it was conceived, produced and distributed by Trump’s White House staff,” the letter states.
The R&B artist whose song was featured on the ad, JMSN, also suggested on social media that the administration had used his song without permission.
“I would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign,” JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, posted to X on Thursday.
In a statement to The Washington Sun, a spokesperson for the Trump administration did not address lawmakers’ concerns, saying instead that the ad is “educational” and “unapologetically patriotic.”
“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the spokesperson said.
A White House official also said the “[public service announcements] are clearly not political,” and that President Trump is not on the ballot.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has come under fire for federal spending on advertisements.
In March of this year, a $220 million ad featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sparked bipartisan criticism of the administration’s use of taxpayer dollars for political-style messaging.
Author
Contributor
