Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song
JMSN's song 'Love Me' was used in a US government-funded ad featuring Donald Trump.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

JMSN Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Usher's New Look Foundation
Photograph: Deadline (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Musician JMSN, real name Christian Berishaj, sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
- The letter objects to the use of his song 'Love Me' in a promotional ad featuring Donald Trump.
- The ad was paid for using tax dollars and is described by some as campaign propaganda.
- The letter alleges the song was used without proper clearances and violates federal copyright law.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 43 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 44 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
20/100
44 sources · methodology
Missing from the right
Only 1 of the 43 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Christian Berishaj, who performs as JMSN, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The letter concerns the use of his song 'Love Me' in a promotional advertisement that features Donald Trump. The ad spots are stated to be 'paid for by the U.S. government'.
The letter alleges that the song was used without proper clearances and claims a violation of federal copyright law. Yashar Ali first reported on the cease-and-desist letter, which was sent on a Monday. A White House spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Disagreement on Ad Classification
The White House has described the ad spots as public service announcements. However, Democrats and some Republicans contend that they are campaign propaganda. AdImpact estimates that $1.7 million has been spent to run the spots.
What the coverage left out
None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific amount of $1.7 million spent on the ad spots, which was reported by Deadline and attributed to AdImpact estimates.
Coverage settled. We checked this 70 times and stopped on 5 Oct 2026, 16:16. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
15 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led with the cease-and-desist letter sent by JMSN to the White House. They highlighted that the song 'Love Me' was used in a promotional ad featuring Donald Trump. These reports stated the ad was paid for using tax dollars and described it as campaign propaganda. The allegations of copyright law violation and lack of proper clearance were also prominent. Deadline quoted Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action, who wrote in the letter that 'JMSN does not want to be viewed as directly or indirectly affiliated with the President or his Administration' and that he 'would never authorize [his] music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign.'
Centre
27 rated outlets
- The centre-rated outlets reported that musician JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the White House. The letter demanded the administration stop using his song "Love Me" in taxpayer-funded advertisements.
- These reports stated that attorneys for JMSN claim the song's use violates federal copyright law. They also demanded the White House remove the ad from all airings and online platforms.
- The full report from CBS News stated that the White House classified the ads as public service announcements and not political. It also noted that the artist is represented by former White House ethics czar Norman Eisen.
Right
1 rated outlet
We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song?
- Of the 43 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 35% are rated left, 63% are rated centre, 2% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 44. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 43 rated outlets on this story, 35% are rated left, 63% are rated centre, 2% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song biased?
- Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song is one event reported by 44 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Musician Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Ad Using His Song?
- 44 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who sent the cease-and-desist letter and to whom?
- The musician JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The letter was sent on a Monday and objects to the use of his song 'Love Me' in a promotional ad featuring Donald Trump.
- What is the objection to the Trump ad?
- The objection is that JMSN's song 'Love Me' was used in a promotional ad featuring Donald Trump without proper clearances. The letter alleges this violates federal copyright law and that the musician does not want to be affiliated with the President or his administration.
- How was the ad paid for and what is it described as?
- The ad spots are stated to be 'paid for by the U.S. government' using tax dollars. While the White House described them as public service announcements, Democrats and some Republicans contend they are campaign propaganda.
Read it at the source
44 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
15- New Trump ads draw complaints (opens Dothan Eagle in a new tab)
Dothan Eagle — is Dothan Eagle biased? Our profile of this outlet
- A Musician Calls on the White House to Stop Using His Song in Pro-Ramb Ads. (opens aljazeera.net in a new tab)
aljazeera.net — is aljazeera.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Sioux City Journal in a new tab)
Sioux City Journal — is Sioux City Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Winston-Salem Journal in a new tab)
Winston-Salem Journal — is Winston-Salem Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens News & Record in a new tab)
News & Record — is News & Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- R&B Star Gives Trump White House An Ultimatum Over Song In Controversial Ad (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- ‘Love Me’ Artist Threatens Legal Action Over Taxpayer-Funded Trump Ad (opens washingtonsun.com in a new tab)
washingtonsun.com — is washingtonsun.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Taxpayer-funded Trump ads draw regulatory complaints, artist protest (opens Maryland Daily Record in a new tab)
Maryland Daily Record — is Maryland Daily Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 7 more
- JMSN Demands White House Stop Using ‘Love Me’ in Government-Funded Trump Ad (opens RollingStone in a new tab)
RollingStone — is RollingStone biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Love Me" artist doesn't love Trump using his song (opens Axios in a new tab)
- JMSN Fires Off Letter Over Use Of Song In Ad Spot Touting Trump (opens Deadline in a new tab)
- JMSN Demands Trump Stop Using 'Love Me' Song in New Ad (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
- ‘Love Me’ artist demands Trump stop using song (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Love me' artist demands Trump stop using song in taxpayer-funded ad (opens USA Today in a new tab)
- WH Hit With Legal Threat Over Trump’s “Love Me” Ad (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
27- JMSN demands Trump stop using his song in taxpayer-funded ads (opens Gephardt Daily in a new tab)
Gephardt Daily — is Gephardt Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- JMSN lawyers demand White House drop R&B artist’s song from controversial Trump ad (opens The Hill in a new tab)
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Columbus Telegram in a new tab)
Columbus Telegram — is Columbus Telegram biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Mason City Globe Gazette in a new tab)
Mason City Globe Gazette — is Mason City Globe Gazette biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Mooresville Tribune in a new tab)
Mooresville Tribune — is Mooresville Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Lake Geneva News in a new tab)
Lake Geneva News — is Lake Geneva News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Chippewa Herald in a new tab)
Chippewa Herald — is Chippewa Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens OANow.com in a new tab)
Show 19 more
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Bristol Herald Courier in a new tab)
Bristol Herald Courier — is Bristol Herald Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens The Valley News Today in a new tab)
The Valley News Today — is The Valley News Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier in a new tab)
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier — is Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Bismarck Tribune in a new tab)
Bismarck Tribune — is Bismarck Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens The Daily Progress in a new tab)
The Daily Progress — is The Daily Progress biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Bulletin-Review in a new tab)
Bulletin-Review — is Bulletin-Review biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens The Daily Nonpareil in a new tab)
The Daily Nonpareil — is The Daily Nonpareil biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens The McDowell News in a new tab)
The McDowell News — is The McDowell News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Lincoln Journal Star in a new tab)
Lincoln Journal Star — is Lincoln Journal Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Montana Standard in a new tab)
Montana Standard — is Montana Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Hawaii Tribune-Herald in a new tab)
Hawaii Tribune-Herald — is Hawaii Tribune-Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens West Hawaii Today in a new tab)
West Hawaii Today — is West Hawaii Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- JMSN demands Trump stop using his song in taxpayer-funded ads (opens UPI in a new tab)
- Donald Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded ‘Love Me’ Ad Just Triggered a Legal Threat (opens Reality Tea in a new tab)
Reality Tea — is Reality Tea biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump admin hit with cease and desist from singer-songwriter JMSN over the president’s new ad campaign (opens Wonderwall.com in a new tab)
Wonderwall.com — is Wonderwall.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- 'Love me' artist demands Trump stop using song in taxpayer-funded ad (opens Naples Daily News in a new tab)
Naples Daily News — is Naples Daily News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump government ads draw artist protest, regulatory complaints (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Artist whose song is featured in Trump taxpayer-funded ad sends cease-and-desist order to White House (opens CBS News in a new tab)
Right
1Not rated
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