Trump's PAC won't pay taxpayers back for his ads
· Axios
President Trump's super PAC will not reimburse the government for taxpayer money spent on campaign-style ads promoting the administration.
Why it matters: Taxpayers have footed a multimillion-dollar bill for the advertisements, which some critics of the president have called "government propaganda."
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What they're saying: "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 Monday evening.
- "This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc," he wrote, referring to a super PAC affiliated with the president.
Worth noting: Federal law generally bars federal officeholders from directing spending decisions for super PACs.
Zoom in: When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson told Axios that Trump's announcement "was not referring to reimbursement."
Catch up quick: The White House previously defended the ads as "public service announcements" that are "clearly not political."
- The White House says the ads are instead meant to be patriotic, noting that Trump isn't on the ballot this year.
- Nonetheless, one such ad repurposes a nearly identical ad from Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, cutting it shorter and adding "Paid for by the U.S. government."
Zoom out: The ads, which have run on cable and network television, including during NFL games, have cost at least $11 million since September, according to an AdImpact analysis conducted by the AP.
- The spots were paid for through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract.
Go deeper: Scoop: Trump's hand-picked, taxpayer-funded ads about to ramp up