Trump administration airs 2024 campaign ad with taxpayer funds

The Trump administration is using taxpayer funds to air a television advertisement from Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, the latest in a series of ads promoting the president ahead of the midterms that the White House maintains are "public service announcements." Spending on the latest ad already topped about $319,000, according to AdImpact, which tracks media spending.pbs.org+1

The 30-second video, which is virtually identical to one that aired in 2024, shows Trump walking down a hallway as his voice warns of a "final battle" against "globalists" and "warmongers." The black-and-white video ends with Trump staring into the camera lens with a message that says: "Paid for by the U.S. Government." The 2024 iteration urged viewers to "Join President Trump's Fight for America."

What the ad shows and says

In the narration, Trump says: "With you at my side, we will demolish the 'deep state.' We will expel the war mongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists; we will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists." He continues: "We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all."

The new version aired during multiple college and NFL football games over the weekend, Saturday Night Live and Fox News Sunday. The government spent more than $300,000 on the ad, though it is unclear exactly which government agency paid for it. Some experts say the ads amount to propaganda, which federal law prohibits the use of public funds for.

The latest spot is one of three ads in the series. A minute-long ad began airing Friday and features scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips from Trump's Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country's 250th anniversary. An earlier 30-second spot that began airing on Wednesday features clips of Trump talking about defeating communism interspersed with onscreen text promoting the "largest tax cuts in history" and a call to "defend law and order and police."

Where the spending numbers came from

Lawmakers of both parties have criticized the new series of ads for their inherently political nature and the use of taxpayer dollars. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said on CBS' Face the Nation that public officials shouldn't use public money to fund such ads, adding: "Now, the White House sees it differently. But I think there ought to be a rule that you can't -- well there probably is a rule -- that you can't spend public money to promote yourself."

The White House in a statement on Friday defended the use of what it described as "public service announcements" and dismissed criticism of them as "deeply dishonest." Examples cited by the White House include George W. Bush's administration airing a campaign about a Medicare law and the Biden administration running one about COVID-19 vaccinations.

The White House defense of the ads

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X Sunday: "Don't let the Fake News get away with their lies about our epic Public Service Announcements that have been running on TV." White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said that Trump "is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress."independent.co.uk

Outgoing Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie attacked the ads on X, writing: "Don't worry, using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal… in banana republics." In a follow-up post, Massie added: "So much for DOGE. This is the kind of waste, fraud, and abuse they were originally supposed to go after."

Norm Eisen, former White House ethics special counsel, said: "The president and his administration have gone from breaking the law to trampling it. The prior ad was bad enough, but this one openly repurposes prior political conduct." Former White House ethics lawyer Richard W Painter wrote on X: "This could be an impeachable offense. [The president] has no right to use taxpayer money for campaign ads."

Trump will not be on the ballot when the nation goes to the polls on November 3, but he has repeatedly asked voters to pretend that he is, placing the Republican Party's chips on his own performance in the Oval Office. The strategy threatens to backfire given his low approval ratings and widespread discontent over the Iran war and the affordability crisis, potentially handing rival Democrats control of the House and perhaps even the Senate.