Artist Demands Trump Stop Using Song in Campaign Ad
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Center 50%
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1 left · 1 center · 0 right
What happened
Attorneys for R&B artist JMSN (Christian Berishaj) sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding that the administration stop using his song “Love Me” in a taxpayer-funded television and online advertisement. The ad, which the White House has classified as a public service announcement, features the song over footage of President Trump and on-screen text including “America will never be a communist country.” JMSN said he never licensed the track and would not authorize his music for any political agenda. The White House has not publicly responded to the letter; it has previously said the spots are not campaign ads. Ad-tracking firm AdImpact put combined spending on related White House spots at nearly $2.5 million.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 3 articles
2 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Democracy Defenders Action, JMSN and JMSN (Christian Berishaj)
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 3 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: cease-and-desist letter, on-record letter
- Credits another outlet 0 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 29, 14:31 UTC by CBS News, naming its source. First document in the first report, from CBS News (cease-and-desist letter).
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication, so those readers would not know an R&B artist is trying to force the White House to pull his music from taxpayer-funded ads. Left-leaning coverage reports that JMSN's lawyers sent a cease-and-desist over the song in a government-funded commercial aired on television and online. A reader of right-leaning outlets would also miss that the attorneys say the use violates federal copyright law.
Left-leaning coverage omits that some Republicans have also objected to the taxpayer-funded spots. That account frames a commercial highlighting Trump's political agenda and does not include the Senate criticism CBS News reported.
Did the White House obtain any license for the recording, or use it with none at all?
Bottom line
A reader of right-leaning media would miss that JMSN's lawyers told the White House to pull the song and called its use a federal copyright violation, a letter the Hill reported.
The receipts — 6 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Attorneys for JMSN sent a cease-and-desist letter to the White House demanding it stop using the song Love Me
- Combined spend on at least three White House ads is almost $2.5 million according to AdImpact
- A White House official said the TV spots are public service announcements and clearly not political
- Attorneys demanded a written accounting of every airing and online posting, including total media spend
- JMSN is represented by former White House ethics czar Norman Eisen
- Attorneys argued the ad created a false endorsement or association with the administration
The Left View
The Hill, CBS News, and Axios report that JMSN’s lawyers—including former Obama ethics official Norman Eisen, Democracy Defenders Action, and Ballard Spahr—allege copyright infringement and a false impression of endorsement, and demand the ad be pulled, online copies removed, and a written accounting of every airing and spend. Coverage notes JMSN’s social-media denial of any license, the White House’s prior claim that the spots are non-political PSAs, related ads including a reworked 2024 campaign video marked “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” and criticism from Republican Sens. John Kennedy and Thom Tillis of using public money for such spots. Axios and CBS also report that a version of the ad remained on the White House YouTube page after the letter.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it involves a named artist, a specific song and ad, named counsel, a documented cease-and-desist to a named White House official, spend figures from AdImpact, and on-the-record GOP criticism. Established facts include that the song was used without a license the artist says he granted, that a cease-and-desist was sent, and that the White House has described the spots as PSAs rather than campaign ads. Allegations of copyright violation, false endorsement, and illegal use of taxpayer funds for publicity or propaganda remain claims in the letter, not adjudicated findings. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for a White House response, whether the ad is withdrawn, any court filing, and the accounting of airings and spend the letter demands.
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