Trump says his super PAC will pay for taxpayer-funded TV ads
President Trump said Monday that his super PAC, MAGA Inc., will pay for the government TV ads praising his record after criticism from both parties. The White House said the change applies only to future ads. AdImpact says at least $10 million in public money has already been spent on the spots.
President Donald Trump said Monday that his main super PAC will start paying for a run of TV ads that taxpayers have been funding. The ads, which praise the country and his record, carry the line "Paid for by the U.S. Government." They began airing late last month on cable and broadcast networks ahead of the midterm elections.
"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 on Truth Social. He said he would now "pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc."
A White House official told NBC News that MAGA Inc. will pay for the ads "moving forward." The White House did not say whether the government would be paid back for ads that already ran. The ad tracking firm AdImpact says at least $10.1 million in public money had been spent as of Monday, the Washington Examiner reports.
The money came from border security funds. The Office of Management and Budget sent $20 million to Customs and Border Protection on Sept. 19, and the Homeland Security Department then gave a $20 million "National Media Campaign" contract to LMD Agency, according to reported records. NBC News reports that CBP leaders were cut out of the decision, and that one spot looks almost the same as a 2024 Trump campaign ad.
Criticism came from both parties. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the ads "propaganda." Republican Sen. Thom Tillis compared them to tactics used by Hungary's Viktor Orbán and said, "There's no place for that sort of thing." Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said the campaign "should immediately repay" taxpayers. The watchdog group Public Citizen has filed complaints with federal agencies, including a Hatch Act complaint.
Trump has said the ads are not about him. "I'm not promoting myself because I'm not running for office," he said last week. "I'm promoting the country." The White House has called the spots public service announcements.
MAGA Inc. has plenty of money to cover the cost. It raised $424.4 million and had $415.8 million in cash through Aug. 31, CNBC reports.
What we know: MAGA Inc. will pay for future ads, the White House says.
What we don't: Whether taxpayers get back the roughly $10 million already spent.
Where outlets agree NBC News, CNBC and the Washington Examiner all report that Trump said MAGA Inc. will now pay for the ads that had been funded with taxpayer money.
Where they differ Trump says the ads promote the country rather than himself, while Democrats and some Republicans call them political ads and want the money already spent repaid.