Have you seen these Trump ads? Turns out, you're paying for them
WASHINGTON - Pro-President Donald Trump commercials airing across Wisconsin are being funded by U.S. government coffers, fueling bipartisan concerns in Washington, D.C., that taxpayers are footing the bill.
The ads, which started airing last week, are being paid for using $20 million from the Homeland Security Department funding, specifically tapping money provided in last year's GOP "One Big Beautiful Bill" for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to U.S. Senate appropriators.
The White House holds they are public service announcements that act as a "reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it's worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad."
Trump later told reporters that it's an ad "for the spirit of our country." He added that if someone "says it's wrong, I'll gladly pay the money."
"President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action," the White House said in a statement. "When prior Administrations utilized the airwaves, it was called 'public education.' When this Administration promotes pride in our country, many of those same voices call it 'propaganda.'"
The first 30-second commercial called "The Country He Loves" depicts a montage of clips of Trump at events and rallies with a voiceover condemning socialism and communism in America. It ends with another voiceover: "He's the toughest, most resilient person that I've ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves." Across the bottom, a tagline reading "Paid for by the U.S. government" appears.
Another commercial mirrors a 2024 Trump campaign ad .
Per the Hatch Act, it is illegal for federal government workers to engage in certain political activities, such as campaigning. The president and vice president are exempt, but federal government ethics experts said any federal employee who worked on the ads could be in violation.
Both Democrats and Republicans said they were concerned about the ads using government funding, especially since U.S. Congress, who has power over the purse, has not specifically allocated money for such ads.
"You would think the president would be using taxpayer dollars to make families' lives more affordable, but no. He's using your money for his campaign ads instead," Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin posted online . "This isn't just insane—it's flat-out illegal."
"I don't think any public official, including Donald Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said on CBS News's "Face the Nation." U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told reporters the ads shouldn't be paid for with tax dollars.
Wisconsin Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a deficit hawk, did not respond to a request for comment on the ads or their funding source.
Joe Spielberger, senior policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan federal ethics watchdog, said the ads are not PSAs but "partisan political campaign ads," adding they do not provide any informational or educational value."
"Actual public service announcements provide public health guidance, for example," he said. "These are partisan campaign ads using similar imagery like political slogans and talking points that we're accustomed to seeing in stump speeches on the campaign trail."
Spielberger added that it doesn't matter that Trump is not running in this cycle — the Hatch Act does not include any time parameters surrounding elections, meaning federal employees are always barred from certain political activities.
When asked about the adds, DHS directed the Journal Sentinel to the White House statement. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which investigates Hatch Act violations, would not comment on whether they are looking into the ads.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Have you seen these Trump ads? Turns out, you're paying for them
