When you talk to people close to President Donald Trump, they will be quick to tell you that he’s mad at the TV again, and he’s mad about Republicans who don’t want to talk about him. And that’s why he’s now forcing the federal government to run another pro-Trump propaganda campaign that Americans are paying for with their tax dollars.
The first such TV ad features the deeply unpopular president railing against “communists,” over a song pleading “LOVE ME,” with a disclaimer that it’s being “paid for by the U.S. government.” Watchdogs and lawmakers say the ad violates federal laws that bar the use of federal money for propaganda purposes, and prohibit federal employees from using official resources for politics. Some elected Democrats are demanding answers from the White House. Trump’s running these ads with taxpayer dollars despite his political operation having an obscene amount of cash to burn.
Several longtime GOP operatives working on competitive 2026 races told Zeteo that they thought the “Love Me” ad campaign was a bad idea, with one consultant close to the Trump White House saying: “It was kind of pathetic.” Others in and close to the Trump administration weren’t thrilled about it, either.
The White House wasn’t done, though. Trump’s administration is also planning to run an ad touting the president’s successful plot to kidnap Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and it’s running a 60-second ad featuring Trump speaking at Mount Rushmore about how he’s brought about “the golden age of America.” The White House calls these taxpayer-funded propaganda ads “public service announcements,” and insists they are “very clearly not campaign ads.”
So, why does this TV ad campaign exist? Beyond the fact that the Trump-Vance administration is plowing an ungodly amount of public money and resources into myriad initiatives designed specifically to make President Trump feel good about himself, there is one major, 2026-related reason that you’re seeing the “LOVE ME” ad on your television.