The pro-Trump television ads that drew bipartisan scrutiny just weeks before November’s midterm elections were funded with taxpayer money from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
President Donald Trump personally promoted the ad and was involved in its creation, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The revelations mean CBP, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is pursuing a campaign that differs greatly from traditional public messaging. CBP regularly runs advertisements to deter illegal immigration. These spots instead heavily feature Trump, touting tax cuts, attacking communism, and recycling language from the 2024 campaign.
In one ad, footage of President Trump fills the screen and declares, “America will never be a communist country.” The other has revived the “last fight” message for the 2024 election campaign, attacking the political establishment and the press.
The ad has already aired thousands of times nationally and locally. CNBC previously reported that more than $1.2 million was spent to air the two spots, according to AdImpact, which tracks political ad spending.
Democrats and at least one Republican senator have questioned whether tax dollars should be spent on ads focused on President Trump. Some Democrats in Congress are now calling for an investigation into whether money earmarked for border security is being used to promote the president’s political message.
“DHS appears to have sunk $20 million into this outrageous scheme,” Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote in a letter to DHS on Tuesday, saying the agency was misappropriating funds provided to CBP through the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The pressure also extended to federal regulators on Tuesday. The watchdog group Public Citizen has filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, asking the stations to stop airing the ads, and last Friday separately asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of the Special Counsel to investigate possible violations of federal propaganda regulations and the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees’ involvement in political campaigns.
The White House defended the campaign Tuesday, calling the spot a public service announcement.
“These public service announcements are meant to remind Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending at home, at our borders and abroad,” a White House spokesperson told CNBC. “This ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should all be proud of our country.”
CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
