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Musician JMSN Sends Cease-and-Desist Over Song Used in Trump Ad

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (80%).

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Attorneys for R&B artist JMSN sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles demanding the removal of his song “Love Me” from a government-funded advertisement promoting President Trump. The ad aired on television and was posted to the White House’s YouTube channel in early September. JMSN’s lawyers say the unauthorized use violates federal copyright law. The commercial was produced with taxpayer money ahead of the November midterms. One report says the ad was created through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract with marketing firm LMD Agency, which had earlier been passed over for a separate federal contract after officials objected to its LGBTQ-friendly branding.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. JMSN’s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles over use of his song “Love Me” in a Trump ad

    Reported byLeftCenter

  2. The ad aired on TV and was posted to the White House’s YouTube page in early September

    Reported byLeftCenter

  3. Lawyers for JMSN say the use violates federal copyright law

    Reported byLeftCenter

  4. The ad was produced using public/taxpayer funds and promotes Trump’s political agenda ahead of the midterms

    Reported byLeftCenter

  5. The ad was reportedly made through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract with marketing firm LMD Agency

    Reported byLeft

  6. DHS had previously passed over LMD Agency for a separate contract after officials objected to the firm’s LGBTQ-friendly and DEI-related branding

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether the Trump ad amounts to unlawful taxpayer-funded propaganda

    Some left-leaning outlets report that critics and the lawsuit characterize the ad as propaganda funded improperly with public money; The Hill and other coverage do not make this characterization, describing it more neutrally as a government-funded commercial promoting Trump’s agenda.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left-leaning outlets frame the dispute with varying intensity, from straightforward reporting of the legal threat to sensational or mocking language, with one Daily Beast piece shifting focus to the ad firm’s past dealings with DHS and a derisive nickname for a former official.

    Loaded modifier“ICE Barbie”Uses a mocking nickname for a government official rather than her name or title, prejudging her in the headline.More neutral: Kristi NoemDisagree with this highlight?’s Beef With Trump’s ‘Love Me’ Ad Firm Revealed
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline reports the cease-and-desist demand in neutral, descriptive terms without characterizing the ad’s content or motives.

    JMSN lawyers demand White House drop R&B artist's song from controversial Trump ad
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left7

    fawns over the presidentSlapped With Legal ThreatBonkerscontroversial, taxpayer-funded political ad

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    fawns over the presidentMore neutral: praises the president

    “Fawns” characterizes the ad’s tone judgmentally rather than describing its content neutrally.

    …of staff Susie Wiles after his song “Love Me” was featured in the ad, which fawns over the president.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Slapped With Legal ThreatMore neutral: Sent Legal Threat

    “Slapped” is a dramatic verb choice for filing a legal letter, adding drama beyond the neutral fact.

    Trump Slapped With Legal Threat Over Bonkers ‘Love Me’ Ad

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    BonkersMore neutral: Controversial

    The word passes judgement on the ad rather than describing it neutrally.

    Trump Slapped With Legal Threat Over Bonkers ‘Love Me’ Ad

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    controversial, taxpayer-funded political adMore neutral: taxpayer-funded political ad

    “Controversial” presents a contested characterization of the ad as settled fact.

    …Donald Trump’s White House after it used his song “Love Me” in a controversial, taxpayer-funded political ad promoting the president ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    torpedoedMore neutral: ended

    Implies deliberate sabotage of a deal rather than a neutral description of its cancellation.

    …firm tied to Donald Trump’s controversial ad blitz had an earlier government deal torpedoed over its LGBTQ-friendly stance.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    bizarre self-promoting TV commercialsMore neutral: self-promotional TV commercials

    Characterizes the ads with a judgmental adjective rather than describing them factually.

    …has been under fire for using taxpayers’ money to produce a series of bizarre self-promoting TV commercials ahead of the November midterms, with critics branding them…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    ICE BarbieMore neutral: Kristi Noem

    Uses a mocking nickname for a government official rather than her name or title, prejudging her in the headline.

    ICE Barbie’s Beef With Trump’s ‘Love Me’ Ad Firm Revealed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • taxpayer funding of the ad
  • legal/copyright violation claims
  • characterization of the ad as self-promotional or propaganda
  • background on the ad firm’s government contracts
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the cease-and-desist letter
  • where and when the ad appeared

Leaves out

  • the $20 million DHS contract with LMD Agency
  • the firm’s earlier rejection over LGBTQ-friendly branding

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    JMSN lawyers demand White House drop R&B artist's song from controversial Trump ad

    The music artist behind a song included in a government-funded commercial highlighting President Trump's political agenda is sending a cease-and-desist letter to the White House. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The New York Times, Sep 29, 7:05 AM EDT

  • Center

    1 day 6 hr later

    Its first report, Sep 30, 1:21 PM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftSep 29, 7:05 AM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftSep 29, 8:29 AM EDT
  3. CBS NewsLeftSep 29, 10:31 AM EDT
  4. HuffPostFar LeftSep 30, 3:02 AM EDT
  5. The HillCenterSep 30, 1:21 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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