White House Airs Taxpayer-Funded ‘Love Me’ Ad Promoting Trump Ahead of Midterms

A 30-second television ad promoting President Donald Trump and his policies began airing in markets including Los Angeles and Chicago with an on-screen disclaimer that it is “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” The Washington Post and CNN reported.

The spot, set to JMSN’s song “Love Me,” stitches rapid-cut images of Trump over audio in which he denounces communism and socialism, with on-screen text touting administration claims such as “reigniting American manufacturing,” CNN said. It closes with UFC chief executive Dana White calling Trump the “toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met,” according to the network.

The White House framed the commercial as a public-service and educational message rather than a campaign spot. A spokesperson told CNN the ad is “educational and unapologetically patriotic” and that “we should be proud of our country,” while declining to elaborate on the funding path beyond the on-screen taxpayer credit.

Critics argued the buy collides with long-standing limits on using federal money for “publicity or propaganda” and raised possible Hatch Act concerns so close to Election Day. Common Cause’s Carol Evans told CNN she did not think viewers needed to be “legal scholar[s]” to question why taxpayer funds were being used to promote the president’s image with the midterms about six weeks away (Nov. 3).

CNN cited AdImpact cost estimates placing the taxpayer-funded flight in a comparatively small band next to the tens of millions flooding midterm airwaves from outside groups. The ad does not name specific races or down-ballot candidates, both outlets noted, even as Trump has sought to remain central to the midterm narrative while not appearing on the ballot himself.

JMSN separately suggested on social media that the administration used “Love Me” without permission, CNN reported. For readers following civic media and election coverage on Daily News, the dispute now sits at the intersection of White House messaging, campaign-finance optics, and rules that ordinarily keep taxpayer dollars off personal political promotion.

Whether regulators treat the spot as permitted patriotic education or prohibited propaganda will turn on how agencies parse the “Paid for by the U.S. Government” line against the Hatch Act and anti-propaganda statutes — a fight that is already drawing Democratic scrutiny and watchdog pushback as early voting windows approach.