Trump spent at least $10M in taxpayer cash on ‘patriotic ads’ critics compared to North Korean propaganda — now he says his super PAC will pay

On Monday, Trump seemed to bow to political pressure over using taxpayer funds to pay for his promotional ads — which have included elements of the president’s 2024 campaign messaging — announcing on Truth Social: “I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”

On Tuesday, per the New York Times, a White House spokesperson noted that Trump’s announcement “was not referring to reimbursement.”

Critical reviews

Congressional critics have characterized the ads as “the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea,” while Trump, via the Department of Homeland Security, has reportedly already spent more than $10 million in taxpayer dollars on them. The ads run the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. government.”

CNN, meanwhile, noted that Trump’s team created “at least 13 campaign-style ads,” including three “highlighting the US military and operations in Iran and Venezuela” and another dubbed “God Made Trump,” which haven’t aired yet.

A White House spokesperson told Moneywise that Trump’s turnabout on using taxpayer dollars “was not referring to reimbursement,” adding that “presidential public service announcements are nothing new. Administrations of both parties have used public service announcements to explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction.”

Blurring the line between public service and personal promotion

A joint letter from Senate and House Democrats to the White House in September called out one ad that “celebrates President Trump with a montage of photos of him and the American flag as singers repeat the words ‘love me’ from JMSN’s song ‘Love Me.’”

They continued, “If President Trump wants people to love him, he can pay for it himself,” adding, “The law is not complicated. You cannot use taxpayer dollars for political advertisements.”

Another ad, the Washington Post reported, took aim at “the communists, Marxists and fascists” and “the sick political class that hates our country,” claiming “we will rout the fake news media and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”