“Love me”: artist JMSN asks Trump to remove his song from taxpayer-funded ad

Christian Berishaj, known by his stage name JMSN, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, demanding that his song “Love me” be immediately removed from the taxpayer-funded television ad promoting President Donald Trump.

The lawyers of Christian Berishaj, who performs as JMSN, sent on Monday, September 28, a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, also demanding that the ad be pulled from all scheduled broadcasts and deleted from the internet, as USA Today reports.

The artist’s lawyers, led by the group “Democracy Defenders Action,” accuse the White House of violating federal copyright law with the use of JMSN’s song, as well as of violating the law that prohibits the appearance of false endorsements or associations. “To be absolutely clear: JMSN does not wish to be seen as directly or indirectly connected with the President or his Administration,” the letter reads, signed by lawyer Norm Eisen, adding that the use of the song “in this context, as part of an overtly partisan political ad, is particularly damaging, as it may cause others to question JMSN’s artistic independence and integrity,” USA Today reports.

JMSN’s objection comes as the “Love me” ad and another Trump ad, also federally funded, have raised questions about the use of public money for political ads — something that federal law and the annual appropriations acts passed by Congress prohibit. The White House argues the ads are “public service announcements,” not political ads, since Trump is not on the ballot in November and the ads do not mention the election, USA Today writes.

The ad in question shows Trump urging Americans to “defeat communism, socialism, and Marxism in America,” while a choir in the background recites the “Love me” line from JMSN’s song. On screen appear messages such as “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY. REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING. DEFEND LAW AND ORDER” and the repeated line that “AMERICA WILL NEVER BE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY.” At the end, the voice of UFC chief Dana White, a close Trump ally, is heard: “He is the strongest, most resilient man I have ever known, and nothing will stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, and has not made public the amount the government paid for airing the ad, which has been broadcast on Fox News. Although Trump is not on November’s ballot, the president has asked supporters to “pretend” as if he is on the ballot, in an effort to energize them for the midterm elections.