Trump says taxpayer funds will no longer pay for ads featuring him

President Donald Trump said Monday he would stop using taxpayer money to pay for television ads featuring him, after lawmakers from both parties criticized the government-funded spots that aired ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Trump defended the ads in a social media post, calling them “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” and “a rather standard thing to do”. He said he would pay for the “Patriotic Ads” himself or with money raised through MAGA Inc, his political action committee. MAGA Inc had amassed more than $400 million by the end of July.

The White House said Monday night that MAGA Inc would pay for such ads in the future, according to The Guardian. Trump gave no details on whether taxpayers would be reimbursed for ads already aired or how his political organization would pay for future spots. The White House did not answer The Guardian’s questions about how it would verify that political funds were being used.

The ads have cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds, according to Al Jazeera and The Guardian. They end with a disclaimer stating that they were paid for by the U.S. government. Some ran during football games as recently as Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.

Three nationally broadcast ads drew particular scrutiny. One features Trump declaring that “America will never be a communist country”, with a chorus repeating “love me”. Another pairs images of Mount Rushmore with Trump’s remarks about a “golden age of America”. A third closely resembles an ad from his 2024 campaign and includes a warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers”. The BBC reported that more than a dozen ads had appeared in recent weeks, including spots about tax cuts, manufacturing and law and order.

The White House had defended the advertisements as educational public service announcements rather than propaganda. Legal experts questioned whether government money could be used for spots promoting a president. “It’s difficult to see what legitimate government purpose is served by spending taxpayer dollars on ads whose only apparent purpose is to promote the president,” legal ethics expert Margaret Dylus-Yukins told the BBC.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday that “I like the message… it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars”. Republican Senator John Kennedy said Sunday that no public official should spend public money on private ads for themselves.

Democrats have sought independent scrutiny. Representatives Jamie Raskin and George Whitesides asked federal watchdogs to investigate whether the administration illegally used taxpayer money for the spots, The Guardian reported. Democratic lawmakers said last month that the White House had transferred $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds to air the ads, according to Al Jazeera. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called Monday for an independent investigation, describing the spending as a “staggering misuse of public funding and breach of public trust”.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Republican appointed by Trump, said last week that the ads were appropriate and rejected a request to investigate them. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, meanwhile, called for proof that taxpayer funding had stopped and for Trump to repay the money, The Guardian reported.