The Trump administration has produced at least 13 campaign-style advertisements as part of a multimillion-dollar effort funded by US taxpayers to promote President Donald Trump and his policies ahead of midterm votings.Several of the ads have not yet aired. They include three focused on the US military and operations in Iran and Venezuela, one titled “God Made Trump” and another featuring Trump’s UFC event at the White House.The spending has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, who have questioned whether taxpayer money should be used for such advertising. The White House has defended the campaign by describing the videos as public service announcements.CNN obtained clips of 12 ads, ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes. Two of those had already been broadcast. The clips were stored in a Dropbox account run by LMD, the agency awarded the government contract for the advertising campaign, and were shared with CNN. Each video ends with the words “Paid for by the US Government”.
Ads feature Trump’s patriotic image
Three of the advertisements have so far appeared on television networks including CBS, CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Fox. It remains unclear whether every advertisement will be broadcast on television, released digitally or both.Although the videos have different themes, many feature Trump alongside audio containing favourable comments about him from news reports. They also use patriotic imagery, including military graduation ceremonies, fireworks over Mount Rushmore and military aircraft flyovers.First lady Melania Trump appears in several of the advertisements. Other footage includes Trump’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs, the US-Mexico border wall, his 2015 presidential campaign launch and a framed image depicting former President Joe Biden’s autopen signature on Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame”.CNN previously reported that Trump has personally influenced the production of the videos, including helping choose some of the footage and images, according to a source familiar with the matter.Two Trump advisers familiar with the project said the ads were being produced internally by the White House video team, which is part of the communications operation responsible for the administration’s public messaging. At least one of the videos, however, was produced by a pro-Trump meme group.
Spending draws bipartisan criticism
The advertisements that have already aired have faced criticism, while the White House has indicated that it intends to expand the effort.Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a post on X that the ads “may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes.” If Democrats take control of the House next year, Raskin would gain congressional subpoena power. The campaign has also attracted criticism from Republicans.“Look, if you want to spend money out of your super PAC or other campaign account to communicate that message, that’s fine. It’s not an appropriate PSA. It’s just not, you know, it’s not how we should be spending taxpayer dollars,” said Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.Sen. John Cornyn of Texas has also said “no” when asked whether the advertisements are an appropriate use of taxpayer money. “It’s not even a close question.”
$20 million allocated for the campaign
A total of $20 million has been allocated for the advertising effort, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN. The money is coming from Customs and Border Protection.Watchdog organisations have argued that the campaign violates appropriations laws that restrict the use of federal funds for propaganda or partisan communications.However, it remains unclear whether outside organisations have the legal standing to challenge the spending in court. While criticism has come from both parties, watchdog groups said Congress has the clearest avenue for holding the administration accountable, but lawmakers have not taken action to stop the advertisements.The White House did not directly address CNN’s questions on Friday afternoon and instead pointed to a newly posted video compilation in which Trump criticised CNN.
