Trump says his super PAC will pay for ads previously funded by taxpayers
President Donald Trump said on Monday that taxpayer money would no longer pay for television ads promoting him and his administration's policies, and that the costs would be covered by his super PAC, MAGA Inc. He made the announcement in a post on Truth Social after lawmakers from both parties criticized the use of public funds for the ads, according to multiple outlets.
Key facts
NBC News reported that Trump said the ads would be funded by him and MAGA Inc., while Roll Call reported he said he would in part use money raised by the super PAC.54
In his post, Trump described the ads as a positive promotion for the United States and said his opponents on the left were upset about them.36
The BBC reported that the ads could have violated US laws barring government funds from being spent on political advertising.2
The White House had defended the ads, and Vice President JD Vance said there was nothing unusual about them.510
The ads had aired widely in recent weeks ahead of the midterm elections, according to CBS News and ABC News.89
Background
From official records and earlier reporting, checked against the sources. Not part of today’s coverage.
Democratic congressional appropriators wrote to the White House Chief of Staff arguing the ads violate the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which they say bars taxpayer funds from being used to produce government propaganda.
White House officials disagree, saying the videos are public service announcements, not political ads.
How it was covered
- Left
- Left-leaning outlets emphasized the bipartisan outcry, described the ads as pro-Trump or self-promoting, and noted they included Trump's attacks on opponents.
- Right
- Right-leaning outlets used the administration's 'patriotic' label for the ads and quoted Trump's post criticizing his political opponents.
Sources (10)
How this story was made
Written and checked by Claude from 10 articles by 10 outlets · How Boring works
Boring’s stories are written and checked by AI, from the outlets’ own headlines and summaries. Every fact links to the outlets that reported it. The background comes from official records and earlier reporting.
Tell us what you think about this story, or report a mistake in it.