Television spots funded by taxpayers and featuring U.S. President Donald Trump came under renewed criticism on Tuesday: the performer of a song used in one of the videos is demanding that the White House stop using his music, while a government watchdog organization has asked federal regulators to take the spots off the air, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
These developments intensified criticism of three nationally broadcast advertisements touting America's "golden age" five weeks before the midterm elections; ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties are questioning the appropriateness of using public funds to promote Trump politically.
Lawyers for Christian Berishaj, known by his stage name JMSN, sent the White House a formal demand to stop using the material, saying that his song "Love Me" had been used without permission. Meanwhile, the organization Public Citizen filed complaints with regulators, arguing that the spots are campaign advertisements that should not be produced or distributed at taxpayers' expense.
Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy on Tuesday asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to provide explanations regarding the spots, saying that the administration had redirected $20 million from the department's budget to the advertising campaign.
"The administration's justification for using American taxpayers' money to broadcast these spots is as absurd as it is offensive," they said in their letter to Mullin.
The White House did not immediately respond on Tuesday to Reuters' questions about the cost of the spots or criticism that they are effectively political advertisements paid for by taxpayers. The administration had previously defended the videos, calling them "public service announcements" intended to promote patriotism rather than campaign advocacy.
The spots conclude with the message: "Paid for by the U.S. government."
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In one of the advertisements, Trump declares that "America will never become a communist country," while a choir repeats the words "love me." Another combines images of Mount Rushmore with footage of Trump praising "America's golden age." The third describes a "decisive battle" against the "deep state" and closely resembles one of Trump's 2024 campaign advertisements.
In an Instagram post, Berishaj said that he "would never have given permission for my music to be used for any political purposes or campaigns."
Public Citizen asked broadcasters to stop airing the spots and also called on the federal government to investigate whether executive branch officials had engaged in improper partisan political activity.
"These spots are part of campaign advocacy; they should be created and distributed as part of a campaign and without the use of taxpayers' money," the organization said.
Critics argue that the videos may violate longstanding restrictions on government propaganda and political activity.