Read as article
Taxpayer-Funded 'Love Me' Ads Glorifying Trump Hit Airwaves
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
CBS News reports the U.S. government is paying for a national pro-Trump ad campaign that Democrats call illegal propaganda and the White House calls a PSA.
What aired, and who paid for it
CBS News reports that a new ad campaign glorifying President Trump began airing Wednesday night on Fox News' "Primetime with Jesse Watters" and expanded Thursday to national cable and network channels, including CBS stations. The spots carry an on-screen disclosure reading "Paid for by the U.S. Government," and CBS reports the government produced the content and bought the air time through an ad agency. The first spot opens with Trump vowing to "defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America," set to JMSN's song "Love Me," and ends with UFC CEO Dana White calling Trump "the toughest, most resilient (man) I've ever met."
Why it is so unusual
The surprise is not the flattery but the funding mechanism: a sitting administration using appropriated public dollars for a glossy, montage-style tribute to the president himself, flashing images of him at rallies, pardoning turkeys, and standing with the FIFA trophy. According to CBS News, JMSN said on X that he never licensed "Love Me" for political use and that no one asked permission. A second ad, airing Thursday evening, recounts the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and features Trump and his top Cabinet officials.
PSA or propaganda? The legal fight
The White House denies the spots are political, telling CBS News they are "educational and unapologetically patriotic" public service announcements about loving one's country, and noting the president is not on the ballot and the ads contain no call to action. CBS News reports that Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan wrote to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding cost and contractor details, arguing the ad appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions on using appropriated funds for "a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party." Top Democratic appropriators demanded the ads be pulled immediately, while Columbia law professor Richard Briffault told CBS the spot likely does not violate election law even if propaganda-law questions remain.
The stakes, at home and abroad
The dispute sets up a test of how far executive branding on the public dime can go before Congress or the courts intervene; Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada is pushing an amendment to her bill banning taxpayer-funded political ads featuring Cabinet members to address the look and content of this spot, per CBS News. The president-centered politics driving the campaign also reverberate abroad: Global News reports that in British Columbia's snap election, NDP Leader David Eby is campaigning on new "Built in B.C." procurement rules and warning that "Conservatives clearly would have rolled over for Trump" in the trade war, though commenter-cited polls there suggest the anti-Trump message may not be landing with voters.