President Donald Trump announced Monday night that he will cease using taxpayer funds to finance a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign supporting his policies and brand ahead of the midterm elections. Instead, the president stated that his super PAC, MAGA Inc., will cover the costs moving forward.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump addressed the backlash regarding the spending, stating, “I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.” He characterized the criticism as dismissing the ads as “a rather standard thing to do,” though he acknowledged the shift in funding source.
The decision follows scrutiny over the use of government funds for promotional spots that heavily featured the president. The White House had allocated $20 million from the Department of Homeland Security’s budget for the effort, with the advertising firm AdImpact estimating that at least $2.5 million in taxpayer money has already been spent on the TV ads over the past two weeks.
Administration officials defended the strategy, noting that presidential public service announcements are a historical practice utilized by administrations of both parties to outline policy and national direction. A White House official confirmed to ABC News that MAGA Inc. would handle future payments.
Vice President JD Vance previously argued that the spots were non-partisan public service announcements designed to celebrate the United States rather than advocate for specific candidates. Similarly, Trump had argued earlier in the week that the advertisements were “for the spirit of our country” and not explicit endorsements for Republican congressional candidates or his own administration.
However, ethics watchdogs and lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns that the ads may violate federal propaganda laws prohibiting the use of tax dollars for political purposes. The four aired commercials have included imagery of Trump walking through hallways discussing battles against the “deep state,” montages highlighting tax cuts, and military footage related to the ongoing conflict with Iran accompanied by audio from Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
MAGA Inc. paying? Sounds like a shell game to me. Keep watching.
At least the money stops coming from us now. Hope they keep their word.
So the president pays for ads that clearly promote his own agenda. Convenient.
Standard practice? Sounds like a loophole to me. Ethics laws matter.
Is this really a pivot or just damage control? The optics are still messy.
Finally, some accountability. Taxpayers shouldn’t fund their own political branding.