Television ads with pro-Trump messages paid for by the U.S. government are expanding in scope ahead of November’s midterm elections, inviting bipartisan scrutiny over whether the campaign complies with federal regulations against taxpayer-funded advertising and propaganda.
One ad features a prominent image of President Donald Trump saying, “America will never be a communist country,” with music repeating the words “I love you.” Key points from the campaign, such as “The Biggest Tax Cut in History,” flash on the screen during the spot.
The ad aired on national television over the weekend, including on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and during college football games, according to advertising intelligence firm AdImpact. The government has spent nearly $920,000 to air the ad so far.
At the end of the ad, there’s a disclaimer that says, “The cost was paid for by the U.S. government.” The source of funding has not yet been identified.
A White House spokesperson defended the ad as a “public service announcement” aimed at reminding “Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending at home, at our borders and abroad.”
“This ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should all be proud of our country,” a spokesperson said.
But the ad reflects the message Republicans are making on the campaign trail ahead of November’s midterm elections. Many are trying to brand Democrats as “communists” while touting congressional victories such as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that cuts taxes, both of which are key themes in the ads.
With just over five weeks left until the November election, Democrats have a lead in recent national polls and are aiming to take over Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
In the second ad, Trump says, “This is the last fight,” before laying out a series of political goals, including “getting these warmongers out of our government and liberating America once and for all from these bad guys.” The message originates from a 2024 digital ad the Trump campaign ran during his second bid for the White House, a campaign promise Trump made before the Iran war.
The ads aired during Sunday NFL football games and on “Fox News Sunday,” and have cost taxpayers more than $362,000 so far, according to AdImpact.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle object to the ads being paid for with taxpayer money, especially with midterm elections just weeks away.
“This ad has no clear official government purpose and appears to violate the federal prohibition against using diverted funds as part of ‘general advertising efforts intended to support a political party or candidate,'” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D.N., said in a Thursday letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
“This taxpayer-funded political ad is yet another troubling example of President Trump’s growing list of expensive vanity projects, including a White House ballroom, estimated to cost more than $1.8 billion, money that could have been better spent lowering costs for the American people,” the senator said.
Democratic leaders on the Appropriations Committee, which contributes federal funds, also objected to the ad. Appropriations committees on Capitol Hill routinely include language in government funding bills that prohibits the use of federal funds for propaganda.
“If President Trump wants to be loved by the people, he can pay the price himself,” the lawmakers said.
The latest government funding bill reads: “No expenditure contained in this or any other law shall be used, directly or indirectly, by private contractors, for advertising or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) also appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and appeared to criticize the ad.
“I don’t think public officials, including President Trump,[former Homeland Security Secretary]Kristi Noem and John Kennedy, should be spending public money on private advertising for themselves,” Kennedy said. “The White House sees it differently.”
