There have been more than a dozen ads over recent weeks, with some mentioning Trump’s tax cuts, US manufacturing and law and order. In them, Trump also vows to take action against the “deep state” and others he perceives as enemies.
In one ad, Trump says, “We will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all”.
The ads come just ahead of the pivotal November midterm elections, when Democrats hope to take control of one or both chambers of the US Congress as polls continue to show Trump’s approval rating falling. Midterm elections often serve as a verdict on how a president is doing – and typically the party of a sitting president tends to lose seats in Congress.
The White House has pushed back against criticism, calling the ads “educational” and saying they are not propaganda, but rather public service announcements.
They’ve pointed to previous administrations ads, like those under former Presidents Barack Obama on his healthcare plan and one under former President Joe Biden urging people to get Covid-19 vaccines.
But legal experts say past US government adverts have typically been about public health or national emergencies.
“It’s difficult to see what legitimate government purpose is served by spending taxpayer dollars on ads whose only apparent purpose is to promote the president,” legal ethics expert Margaret Dylus-Yukins has told the BBC.
Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire introduced a measure, which was blocked by a Republican, denouncing the administration for using government funds for for the ads.
“It is the sense of the Senate that the advertisements promoting President Donald Trump that aired in September 2026, which included the direct language ‘paid for by the U.S. Government,’ should not be paid for by the United States government,” the measure reads.
The ads have received criticism on both sides of the aisle.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday that while “I like the message … it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars”.
Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, said on CBS News on Sunday that politicians should not spend taxpayer funds on promotional ads.
“I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves,” the Louisiana lawmaker said.
