President Trump announced Monday evening that he will no longer use government funds to pay for pro-Trump, campaign-style TV ads currently airing nationwide and will instead rely on his super PAC to cover the cost of the messages that began appearing in late September.
“I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
The federal government has already paid more than $10 million to run the ads, some of which feature Trump pledging to defend the nation from various purported enemies, including communists and socialists — terms that Trump has used repeatedly to denigrate Democrats. The ad campaign has been paid for through a $20 million contract signed by the Department of Homeland Security, using funds for “commemorative events.”
Patriotism or propaganda? The White House has maintained that the ads are public service announcements and not political because Trump is not running for office, but Democrats and even a few Republicans have criticized the use of public funds to cover the cost.
Even as Trump announced that he was reversing course on the funding issue, he continued to defend his actions. “The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money,” he said. “This is a rather standard thing to do.”
Trump’s critics have described the ads as blatant propaganda that violates any number of federal laws governing the use of taxpayer money. They have called on the Trump administration to take them down.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who has proposed legislation to cut funds from the White House if it runs political ads, said she wants Trump to repay the government for the money his administration has used. “This was historic corruption, and the President announcing he will illegally coordinate with a Super PAC won't cut it,” Murray said on X. “Trump MUST refund the American people for these taxpayer-funded ads.”
White House officials reportedly said Tuesday afternoon that Trump’s pledge to cover the cost of the ads will apply only “moving forward,” and does not include any reimbursement.
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer called on Trump to reimburse the funds. “First, Trump steals money from taxpayers to fund his propaganda,” Schumer wrote on X. “Then, he illegally coordinates with a Super PAC to keep that propaganda going. And to top it all off, he won’t reimburse taxpayers for the money he stole. Trump must return this money to the American people, and there must be a full investigation into this gross waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
There’s little doubt that Trump has the money to cover the cost. As of last month, Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., had about $415 million on hand. However, as Schumer’s comments suggest, using that money to pay for the ads may create new headaches for the president. As The New York Times notes, it is against the law for an officeholder to personally direct the spending of a super PAC.