Government kept spending on pro-Trump ads after private-funding pledge

Bipartisan opposition: 86% of Americans called the taxpayer-funded ads inappropriate

The U.S. government continued spending taxpayer money on pro-Trump television advertisements for at least a week after President Trump pledged on Truth Social to shift funding to his MAGA Inc. super PAC, according to an NPR analysis of advertising data from AdImpact. The pledged transition to private funding did not stop the government-funded ads from airing.

Nearly $22 million in taxpayer dollars funded the pro-Trump ad campaign that began in late September. Nearly $10 million of that total was spent after Oct. 5, when Trump announced on Truth Social that the ads would henceforth be paid for through his outside political organization. “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,” Trump wrote. “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.”

The government-funded ads did not stop airing after the president’s post, leaving Republican praise for the announced shift premature. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had criticized the ads; Republicans had welcomed the president’s stated decision to move funding outside government, but the shift turned out to be incomplete.

A federal judge overseeing the Common Cause lawsuit against the ads issued a temporary ruling Sunday night directing the government to “cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements, including those placements for the evening of October 11, 2026.” Pro-Trump spots nonetheless aired hundreds of additional times Sunday night into the early hours of Monday morning, NPR reported. “The last PSAs paid for by the government aired yesterday evening,” a White House official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR on Monday afternoon, adding that the government “did not receive notice from the court in time to cancel the ad buys. The PSAs will be paid for by outside groups moving forward.”

The White House had previously said taxpayer funds used for the ads would not be reimbursed, and has repeatedly characterized the advertisements as public service announcements. A lawsuit filed by Common Cause and others argued the ads were being funded without congressional approval and violated restrictions on government-produced publicity and propaganda.

Five government-funded ads have aired, all ending with the words “Paid for by the U.S. Government” on screen. One features a montage of photos of the president set to a chorus singing “love me.” Another is an exact duplicate of an ad made by the Trump campaign during the 2024 election cycle. Two promote U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll asked respondents whether it was appropriate or inappropriate to use “taxpayer funds to pay for election-related television ads featuring the President or members of his cabinet.” Eighty-six percent of Americans said it was inappropriate, including 80% of Republicans. NPR called such bipartisan agreement rare.

The White House has argued the ads are not campaign-related because the president is not running for office this year and have nothing to do with the midterm elections next month. But Trump has repeatedly urged voters to cast ballots as if he were on the ballot himself, and his approval ratings have been a drag on Republican candidates across the country.