BS BULLETIN:
- The Trump administration is airing a government-funded television ad set to JMSN’s song “Love Me,” with the spot identifying itself as “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
- JMSN says he never authorized the use of his music and is now considering legal action.
- The White House calls the ad a public-service announcement promoting patriotism, while critics contend it looks more like taxpayer-funded political advertising.
The Trump administration has a new television ad asking Americans to love their country.
There’s just one awkward detail: The guy singing “Love Me” says nobody asked him.
So I was just watching Fox News and this commercial played during Jesse Watters show. It says “Paid for by the US Government.”
This is clearly a campaign ad. And the singers are just singing over and over again, “Love me” – over images of Trump. @CBSMiami @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/eCkEZpipWx— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) September 24, 2026
Singer-songwriter JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, is objecting to the administration’s use of his song in a new government-funded television spot and says he is considering legal action.
“I would never authorize my music to be used for any political campaign or agenda,” JMSN told Mediaite, adding that the song was used “without my permission.”
He said he is “looking at lawyers and handling this internally.”
The ad features patriotic imagery and clips from Trump’s presidency while JMSN repeatedly sings the words “love me.”
And unlike an ordinary campaign commercial, the disclosure at the end doesn’t say it was paid for by Trump’s campaign, the Republican National Committee or a political action committee.
It says:
“Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
CBS News reported that the government produced the ads and purchased television airtime through an advertising agency.
That has prompted criticism from Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, who argues the spots improperly use taxpayer money to promote Trump politically.
The White House rejects that characterization.
Officials say the ads are public-service announcements promoting patriotism rather than campaign advertisements. Trump isn’t currently on a ballot, and the spots do not tell viewers to vote for him or any other candidate.
The dispute over JMSN’s music is a separate question.
Artists have repeatedly objected to politicians using their songs, although whether permission is legally required can depend on how and where the music is used and what licenses are already in place.
JMSN isn’t waiting for that argument to play out publicly.
He says he didn’t approve this use — and he’s talking to lawyers.
MY QUICK TAKE
Forget the usual celebrity-versus-politician food fight. The interesting question here is much more basic.
This is the federal government. It can organize carrier strike groups, collect several trillion dollars in taxes and keep a bureaucracy running that has forms for forms that haven’t been invented yet.
But apparently someone can still get all the way from “Let’s make a national TV commercial” to “Buy the airtime” before somebody in the room asks, “Hey, do we have the song?”
Maybe they do. Licensing law is complicated, and JMSN saying he didn’t personally authorize the ad does not by itself establish that the government infringed his copyright.
But that’s precisely why the legal paper trail matters.
The political argument over whether taxpayers should finance an ad celebrating the sitting president is worth having. The music dispute is simpler: show the license.
And if there isn’t one, Washington has somehow discovered the one government program where they forgot the paperwork.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- Mediaite — JMSN says Trump administration used “Love Me” without permission
- CBS News — Government-funded Trump television advertising campaign
- ABC News — White House response and questions surrounding the government-funded ads
