Trump administration using taxpayer funds for these election

Why pro-Trump ads — paid for with public money — are airing on U.S. TV

White House says advertising campaign is not illegal because Trump isn't on midterm election ballot

With crucial midterm elections just weeks away, the White House is using taxpayer funds to air campaign-style TV ads featuring U.S. President Donald Trump.

The ads have aired in top time-slots on national and local television, including during last weekend's NFL games, costing at least $1.4 million US so far, according to analysis by advertising tracking firm AdImpact.

The White House's decision to spend public money on the campaign is drawing widespread criticism, including from Republicans.

"I like the message, but it shouldn't be paid for by taxpayer dollars," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday.

The ads are running as Trump's approval rating hits an all-time low and his Republican Party faces what could be a disastrous midterm result on Nov. 3, potentially ceding control of the U.S. Congress to the Democrats for the remainder of his presidency.

Although U.S. law forbids use of government funds for "publicity and propaganda," Trump's officials insist there's nothing illegal about the advertising campaign.

"These public service announcements are unapologetically American," the White House said in a statement. "The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads. President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action."

While it's true that Trump is not up for re-election in the midterms, he did urge the audience watching this month's Republican convention to "pretend that I'm on the ballot," an attempt to boost turnout for GOP candidates in tight House and Senate races.

Richard Painter, who served as White House ethics lawyer during then-president George W. Bush's second term, says the ads could be an impeachable offence because Trump cannot use taxpayer money to campaign.

"All three ads, they're sheer propaganda," Painter told The Associated Press. "This is increasingly looking like what authoritarian governments do to promote their leaders."

The first ad features rapid-fire montages of photos of Trump, as a choir repeatedly sings the title lyrics of Love Me, a song by musician JMSN.

"If President Trump wants people to love him, he can pay for it himself," a group of Democratic lawmakers wrote to Trump's chief of staff in a letter calling for the ad to be pulled.

"This is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is an egregious and utterly illegal misuse of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars," the Democrats wrote.

The Love Me ad begins with grainy black-and-white video of Trump as his voice is heard saying "Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America."

The 30-second ad then shows slides declaring in all-caps "Largest Tax Cuts in History" and "Reigniting American Manufacturing."

It concludes with video of Trump with Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed-martial arts empire, as the words "Paid for by the U.S. government" appear at the bottom of the screen.

"He's the toughest, most-resilient person that I've ever met, and nothing was going to stop him for fighting so hard for the country he loves," White is heard saying in the voice-over, which is taken from his introduction of Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Another of the government-funded ads is nearly identical to a Trump campaign ad from 2024.

"This is the final battle," Trump said in the ad. "With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state, we will expel the warmongers from our government."

Another ad uses clips and video from Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3, the night before the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

"We are the freest people on earth," Trump said in the minute-long TV commercial. "This is only the beginning of the golden age of America."

The taxpayer money for the ads comes from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Scott Talan, a professor of communication at American University in Washington, D.C., describes the message of the ads as "love Trump, love his policies" but he's doubtful they will have much impact on the president's sagging polls.

"I can't imagine much movement," Talan told CBC News. "People pretty much have their opinions formed."

He noted that the ads ran heavily during pro and college football games. "I don't know how many people watching those games haven't made up their mind already," he said.

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Past administrations have used taxpayer funds on public service advertising, such as a $10 million US campaign under Joe Biden urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and national TV ads promoting government subsidies for health insurance during Barack Obama's time in the White House.

The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, said the Trump administration's ads are "anything but" public service announcements.

"They were pure propaganda," Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. "Trump is getting you, American taxpayer, to use your dollars to pay for his political ads."

Mike Crawley is a correspondent for CBC News, based in Washington. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in B.C., spent six years as a freelance journalist in various parts of Africa, then joined the CBC in 2005. Mike reported on Ontario politics for 15 years. He was born and raised in Saint John, N.B.