USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Trump Says He Will Stop Using Taxpayer Funds for TV Ads Featuring Him
Trump will stop using taxpayer funds for television ads praising him. He will fund the ads via MAGA, Inc. or his own money.
13 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on United States Approves US$1 Billion Arms Sale To United Arab Emirates →
Taxpayers stop funding
President Donald Trump said he would stop using taxpayer funds for television advertisements featuring him after bipartisan pushback over the campaign-style spots. Trump wrote on social media that the ads were “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but that he had decided to pay for the “Patriotic Ads” himself and with money he raised for MAGA Inc.
The ads drew criticism and questions over their legality due to laws against using government money for political ads, and the spots have run during football games as recently as Sunday. Trump said the ads would no longer be funded by taxpayers but by either him or his MAGA PAC, and he defended the campaign-style approach as “a rather standard thing to do.”
Critics demand probes
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called for an independent investigation, saying it was a “staggering misuse of public funding and breach of public trust.” Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr rejected a request to investigate the advertisements and said the ads were appropriate.
Legal ethics expert Margaret Dylus-Yukins told the BBC that it was “difficult to see what legitimate government purpose is served by spending taxpayer dollars on ads whose only apparent purpose is to promote the president.” Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire introduced a measure that denounced the administration for using government funds for the ads, and the measure reads that the advertisements should not be paid for by the United States government.
What happens next
The White House pushed back against criticism by calling the ads “educational” and saying they are not propaganda, but rather public service announcements.
Trump said he would pay for the ads himself and with money raised for MAGA Inc, while the White House said Monday night that MAGA Inc will pay for such ads in the future.
The Independent reported that the decision followed criticism over a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract awarded on September 20 to LMD Agency, and it said the White House Office of Management and Budget transferred $20 million to Customs and Border Protection for “OBBB Commemorative Events” a day prior.
The Independent also said AdImpact data showed more than $10 million in taxpayer money had been spent on the campaign since September, with broadcasts bearing the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”