After backlash, Trump says he will pay for patriotic ads with MAGA, Inc. funds, not taxpayer money
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "After backlash, Trump says he will pay for patriotic ads with MAGA, Inc. funds, not taxpayer money")
File photo of Donald Trump. Photograph: (AFP)
The Trump administration has spent at least an estimated $10.1 million in taxpayer dollars on the ads as of Monday. As of last week, at least 13 campaign-style ads promoting Trump and his policies were created.
US President Donald Trump said Monday (October 5) that he will not use taxpayer money further to fund a series of promotional television ads, but will instead pay for them with funds raised for MAGA, Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC. Trump's decision comes after Republicans and Democrats alike have questioned the administration’s multimillion-dollar television advertising effort. However, the White House has defended the spots as public service announcements.
“The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money. This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
According to leading political ad-tracking firm AdImpact, the Trump administration has spent at least an estimated $10.1 million in taxpayer dollars on the ads as of Monday. As of last week, at least 13 campaign-style ads promoting Trump and his policies were created.
Meanwhile, clips of 12 of the ads were obtained, ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes long, two of which have already aired. Each ad ends with the words “Paid for by the U.S. Government” at the bottom of the screen. Another ad, “Final Battle,” which is not in the Dropbox account, has also aired in recent weeks.
Although the ads vary in theme, many share common elements: footage of the president, audio clips of favourable news coverage, and patriotic visuals such as a graduation cap toss at a military ceremony, fireworks lighting up Mount Rushmore, and military flyovers.
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Pro-Trump meme group
According to several media reports, Trump has been closely involved in the project, including choosing the imagery and footage himself. Two of his advisers said the White House video team, a unit within the communications office that handles the administration's public messaging, has been producing the ads in-house, though at least one came from a pro-Trump meme group.
Watchdog organisations argue the ads clearly break appropriations law, which bars the use of federal money for propaganda or partisan messaging. It remains uncertain, however, whether outside groups have the legal standing to sue. The ads have drawn criticism from both parties, but Congress, which these groups saw as best positioned to hold the administration accountable, took no action to stop them before the midterms.
