FCC chair says Trump ads do not warrant review

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said Wednesday that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump do not warrant an FCC review, as lawmakers in both parties questioned the spending and an advocacy group challenged the ads in a complaint to the agency.

“There’s nothing in there that strikes me that merit any sort of FCC review,” Carr said at a news conference. He likened the spots to ordinary public service announcements, echoing the White House’s defense of the campaign. Asked about allegations that the ads were propaganda, Carr laughed and said he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

The ads have aired across the country in recent weeks. One features Trump saying he wants to “defeat communism” over the song “Love Me” by JMSN. Another is a shorter version of a 2024 Trump campaign ad, showing him walking down a hallway while calling on supporters to join a “final battle” to “demolish the deep state” and “expel the warmongers from our government.”

The progressive advocacy group Public Citizen filed an FCC complaint Tuesday alleging that the spots are unlawful campaign ads intended to motivate Trump supporters ahead of the midterm elections. The group said federal law prohibits using appropriated funds for government propaganda or partisan political advertising. The ads “do not refer to any specific governmental program,” its complaint said, and do not inform the public about one.

At the news conference, a reporter raised Public Citizen’s complaint and noted that the Trump campaign had used one of the ads in 2024. Carr brushed off the concern raised by the reporter, saying groups on the left had long sought to “weaponize the FCC’s license renewal process.” He said the ads did not raise “any red flags.” Carr did not directly address the filed complaint.

Anna Gomez, the commission’s lone Democrat, told NBC News she shared concerns about taxpayer dollars promoting a political message so close to an election. She also accused the FCC of applying a double standard in its investigative decisions.

The White House said last week that the announcements were “very clearly not campaign ads,” according to Al Jazeera. Trump is not on the ballot and the ads contain no call to action, it said. Asked about the spots Wednesday, Trump said they promoted the country, not his candidacy. “I’m not running for office,” he said. “But these are ads for the country.” He added that he would “gladly pay the money” if someone determined the spending was wrong.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he agreed with the message in one ad but that it “shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the ads an “absolute violation of what democracy is supposed to look like,” NBC News reported.

According to Al Jazeera, Democratic senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy wrote to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday demanding that it stop the ads and repay taxpayers. They said the department planned to spend $20 million on the campaign. Al Jazeera also reported that JMSN said his song was used without permission and that his lawyers had asked the White House to remove it from the video.