Trump says taxpayers will no longer pay for TV ads promoting him

What happened

President Donald Trump has announced that the US government will stop spending taxpayer money on television advertisements promoting him, bowing to intense bipartisan criticism from lawmakers.

The decision follows a series of more than a dozen campaign-style commercials that aired in September 2026. The advertisements, which prominently featured the label "paid for by the U.S. Government," showed Trump praising his own policies on tax cuts, manufacturing, and law and order, while promising to "liberate America" from his political opponents.

Trump now says he will pay for future commercials using his political action committee, MAGA, Inc., rather than public funds.

Why the advertisements sparked backlash

Politicians from both sides of the political divide had condemned the use of public funds for the broadcasts. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that while he liked the message of the ads, "it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars."

Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, was equally direct during an appearance on CBS News, saying that no public official should spend public money on private ads for themselves.

Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire went a step further, introducing a Senate measure declaring that the September advertisements should not be funded by the public. Although a Republican lawmaker blocked the measure, the political pressure on the White House continued to grow.

How the White House defended the spending

Before the turnaround, the White House had strongly defended the broadcasts. Officials argued they were "educational" public service announcements rather than propaganda. To support their case, they pointed to advertisements run by previous administrations, such as Barack Obama’s promotions for his healthcare plan and Joe Biden’s campaigns urging citizens to get Covid-19 vaccinations.

However, legal experts rejected that comparison. Margaret Dylus-Yukins, a legal ethics expert, said that historical government advertisements have typically focused on clear national emergencies or public health crises. She argued that it was difficult to see any legitimate government purpose in spending taxpayer dollars on ads designed to promote the president.

What happens next

The dispute comes at a sensitive moment, just weeks before the key November midterm elections. With polls showing Trump's approval ratings falling, his administration is fighting to help Republicans retain control of Congress—a task that is historically difficult for the party holding the presidency.

By shifting the cost of the television campaigns to his political funds, Trump hopes to defuse a controversy that threatened to become a significant electoral liability.