Trump Halts Taxpayer-Funded TV Ads Following Backlash and Ethics Inquiries

United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday that federal taxpayer funds will no longer be used to pay for national television advertisements featuring him. The decision follows intense public criticism from legal experts and bipartisan lawmakers over government-funded, campaign-style broadcasts aired ahead of the US November midterm elections.

Trump defended the promotional spots on his social media platform, calling them "a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A." However, he confirmed that future broadcasts would be financed either privately by himself or through his MAGA political action committee. MAGA Inc., which serves as Trump's core political fundraising vehicle, had gathered more than $400 million by late July. Records show that at least $1.5 million in public money was spent on the broadcasts, which prominently featured Trump speaking on patriotic themes.

The three promotional advertisements, which ran nationally during high-profile programming such as Sunday football games, concluded with disclaimers indicating they were paid for by the US government. In one ad, Trump declared that "America will never be a communist country," while another juxtaposed Mount Rushmore with his remarks on a "golden age." Democratic lawmakers criticized the campaign, alleging that the White House had redirected approximately $20 million from the Department of Homeland Security budget to produce and broadcast ads closely resembling personal campaign material.

The shift to private funding comes amid mounting pressure for independent ethics investigations into the administration's expenditure of public money. California Attorney General Rob Bonta described the campaign on Monday as a "staggering misuse of public funding and breach of public trust." While Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr previously dismissed calls for an inquiry by deeming the ads appropriate, political scrutiny over federal resource allocation remains elevated heading into the midterm elections.