The controversial new TV ads prominently featuring President Trump that say they have been “Paid for by the U.S. government” are being funded by an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, senior Democrats said Tuesday, adding that the spots could cost the federal government upwards of $20 million.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of DHS, has paid an estimated $1.7 million so far to air three ads on national and local TV networks. CBP reportedly runs TV and radio ads on a regular basis, carrying messages aimed at undocumented immigrants, but the pro-Trump ads are different. They are aimed broadly at American citizens, and highlight Trump’s extravagant vows to defeat his enemies, including “Marxists,” the “fake news media” and the “deep state.”
The White House has characterized the ads as public-service announcements that “are about reminding Americans to love their country.”
Senators demand answers: The trio of ads, including one that appears to be a repurposed Trump campaign ad from 2024, has drawn criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Sens. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, and Chris Murphy, the senior Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees Homeland Security, slammed the department’s use of “Americans’ tax dollars to fund government propaganda.”
“It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may be using Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars to bankroll the obscene political ads celebrating President Trump that have aired on stations nationwide in recent days,” Murray and Murphy wrote. “We should not have to remind you that using government funding to create or air political ads like the ones that have been running over the last few days is illegal and a shockingly corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
The lawmakers said that “it appears DHS has dedicated $20 million to this outrageous scheme,” using funds that were provided by Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act and intended to be used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for “commemorative events relating to border security.”
The senators demanded that the ads be taken down, the federal government be reimbursed for the “theft” of federal funds and all those involved in “this corrupt and illegal propaganda” be held accountable. They also submitted a list of questions seeking more details on how the ads came to be aired and funded, with a 48-hour deadline.
White House involved: According to The Wall Street Journal, the people involved in the effort to air the ads include Trump himself: “President Trump personally pushed for the ads and has been involved in their creation, according to a person familiar with the matter,” the Journal reported Tuesday.
We may be seeing more publicly funded pro-Trump ads soon. Axios reported Tuesday that Trump has handpicked the ads that are playing, and more are in the pipeline. “This is just the beginning," an administration official told Axios.