A new advertising campaign glorifying President Trump is airing on national cable networks and national networks, including CBS, starting Thursday, and is being paid for by American taxpayers. The first ad, which aired on Wednesday and aired on Fox News Channel, begins with Mr. Trump promising: “We will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America.” Set to a soundtrack of the song “Love Me” by JMSN, random flash-cut shots of the president’s second administration appear with text on the screen. 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 displays “The United States will never be a communist country” on the screen and also touts his administration’s tax cuts and other broad expressions of support for domestic manufacturing and law enforcement in on-screen text. It ends with the voice of Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, declaring: “He is the toughest, most resilient (man) I have ever met and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.” In a post on X, JMSN said it did not grant a license for the use of “Love Me.” “For anyone who has followed my career and knows what I stand for and what I built my career on, it goes without saying that I would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign,” he said, noting that no one asked for his permission to use it. The ad, which appeared Wednesday night during primetime with Jesse Watters and Thursday afternoon, contains an on-screen revelation that it was “paid for by the U.S. government.” CBS News has learned that there are several versions of the ads, some 30 seconds long and others 60 seconds long. The US government produced the content and paid for airtime through an advertising agency. The White House, in response to questions from CBS News about the pro-Trump ad, denied it was a political ad and called it a “public service announcement.” “These public service announcements are intended to remind Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders and abroad,” a White House spokesperson said. “The ad is educational and absolutely patriotic. We should be proud of our country.” A White House official said the PSAs are “clearly not political,” noting, “The president is not on the ballot and the ads do not have a call to action.” Past presidents have also released public service announcements. During the Biden administration, every living president except Trump appeared in a public service announcement encouraging Americans to get the COVID vaccine. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire wrote to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles demanding information about the cost of running the ad, saying it “raises deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s use of taxpayer money.” “The ad has no clear official government purpose and appears to run counter to federal prohibitions against using appropriated funds as part of ‘a general propaganda effort designed to assist a political party or candidates,'” Hassan wrote. He also asked the White House for information about the contractors involved, the source of funding and whether funds were diverted from federal agencies to run the ad. In another letter to Wiles, top Democratic appropriators in the House and Senate demanded that the ad be immediately taken off the air, saying it was a violation of federal law. “This is the kind of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is an egregious and illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” wrote Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, and Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Campaign finance experts said the commercial probably does not violate election law, even though it drew scrutiny on social media for appearing to be a campaign ad. “He doesn’t appear to be endorsing or endorsing a candidate for public office,” said Richard Briffault, a law professor at Columbia University. Briffault, however, agreed with Hassan that there are questions about whether it could violate the propaganda law. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada has a bill to ban political ads that feature Cabinet members and are paid for with tax dollars. She is trying to introduce an amendment on Thursday to at least address the appearance and content of this new Trump ad. Caitlin Yilek, Gabe Kaminsky and Arden Farhi contributed to this report. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
