Republican senators criticize taxpayer-funded ads promoting Trump
publishers 32articles 36first reported 25 Sep, 03:28 UTCdeveloping since 25 Sep · 7 editions
The Trump administration has expanded a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign featuring President Donald Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, drawing criticism from Democrats, ethics specialists and two Republican senators.
One 30-second advertisement presents highlights of Trump’s second term, promotes his political agenda and suggests Democrats are communists. Another black-and-white spot, broadcast nationally during an Ohio State-Illinois football game on Fox and again on “Fox News Sunday,” uses material from Trump’s 2024 campaign. It shows Trump pledging to “demolish the deep state” and “expel the warmongers from our government.” Both identify the U.S. government as the payer.
The White House has described the spots as public service announcements and defended the campaign. The New York Times, citing an AdImpact estimate, reported that the federal government appeared to have spent more than $1 million on pro-Trump advertising in recent days.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told CBS News that public officials should not use public money for advertisements promoting themselves. He said there “probably is a rule” against doing so. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, separately said Monday that although he liked the ads’ political message, they “shouldn’t be paid for by taxpayer dollars.”
Democratic lawmakers and former government ethics officials have questioned whether producing or broadcasting the ads violates federal restrictions on government-funded propaganda or partisan activity by federal employees.
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Written from 8 articles, 3 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 24 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 8, 3 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
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- This version written
- 24 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
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