FCC chair defends taxpayer-funded Trump ads as routine PSAs

JMSN’s attorneys demand White House halt use of his song by Thursday

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday dismissed criticism of taxpayer-funded White House advertisements featuring President Donald Trump, telling reporters that the spots are routine government messaging and raising no concerns for his agency.

“These are normal course PSAs that the government runs, Republicans and Democrats, routinely and it doesn’t strike me as anything at all out of the ordinary and there is nothing there that strikes me that merit any sort of FCC review or any liability on any broadcaster for running a regular, normal PSA,” Carr said at a press conference.

The Trump administration began airing the television ads last week, using taxpayer money to purchase commercial slots from broadcasters. At least three commercials have run since Sept. 23.

One ad, titled “The Country He Loves,” features Trump in voiceover railing against communism and stating that the United States will never be a communist country, with images of the president on screen and JMSN’s song “Love Me” playing. A second spot, “The Final Battle,” shows Trump walking down a hallway staring at the camera as he speaks in voiceover about demolishing “the deep state.” The second ad is nearly identical to one his campaign aired ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The White House has rejected the criticism, describing the ads as public service announcements and disputing the accusation that they are campaign advertisements. In a statement late last week, the White House said: “President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action.” The same statement described the announcements as “a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border and aboard. That’s not partisanship — that’s a government that still believes in the country it serves.”

The White House’s assertion that Trump is not on the ballot comes despite Trump having repeatedly told Republicans to vote on Nov. 3 as if he were on the ballot.

Carr endorsed the White House’s characterization at the press conference. “I don’t think there’s anything unique or different about it other than being a normal PSA of the types of PSA that the government naturally and normally runs,” he said.

The progressive consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has filed complaints with the FCC, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office alleging that the ads violate laws prohibiting the use of government resources for propaganda and partisan political activity. The non-profit said the cost of all three campaign ads is believed to be in excess of $1 million.

Asked about Public Citizen’s contention that “The Final Battle” is a Trump campaign ad, Carr laughed. “There are groups on the left that have long worked and pushed to weaponize the FCC’s license renewal process and I’m sure they will do it again in the future, but again with respect to these particular ads, these are PSAs that do not raise any red flags that are normal course that Republicans and Democrats always do,” he said.

The dispute over the music in the first ad escalated Monday night, when attorneys for JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, sent the Trump administration a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it stop using their client’s song. The attorneys gave the administration until Thursday to confirm compliance.