A third ad and $1.5 million in public money
The White House released a third taxpayer-funded television advertisement this week that promotes President Donald Trump and his policies ahead of November's midterm elections. Spending on the three spots is nearing at least $1.5 million in public money, according to the Associated Press. A source told CNN that Trump was personally involved in orchestrating the ads, which revive a theme from his 2024 campaign but are paid for by the government.
The White House defence
The administration has spent days defending the spots. In a statement the White House said the announcements are very clearly not campaign ads, adding that Trump is not on the ballot and the advertisements contain no call to action. Officials compared them to public service announcements used by past administrations and described them as a reminder for Americans to love their country.
What ethics lawyers say
Ethics experts disagree. Congressional appropriations bills have carried language for decades stating that no federal funding may be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said the spending could amount to an impeachable offence. He argued Congress has expressly prohibited government-sponsored political propaganda, which he called dangerous for democracy, and said the Republican Party could pay for the same ads without any legal problem, but taxpayers cannot.
Democrats in Congress have seized on the issue ahead of the midterms, where Republicans are fighting to keep control and voters are focused on living costs. The White House rejected the criticism and gave no sign it plans to pull the advertisements.