Trump says MAGA Inc. will fund future ‘patriotic’ ads after backlash
publishers 21articles 24first reported 2 Oct, 19:13 UTCdeveloping since 3 Oct · 11 editions
President Donald Trump said Monday that taxpayer funds would no longer pay for television advertisements featuring and praising him, following criticism from ethics experts and lawmakers in both parties.
Trump defended the spots as “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” and said he would instead pay for them himself or use money raised by his super PAC, MAGA Inc. The White House later said the PAC would fund such advertisements going forward but did not explain how the arrangement would work or whether taxpayers would be reimbursed for ads that have already aired.
The nationally broadcast spots cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds and appeared during football games and other programming. One features Trump declaring that the United States will never become a communist country, while another pairs images of Mount Rushmore with footage of him praising a “golden age of America.” The ads carry disclaimers stating that the U.S. government paid for them.
Democratic lawmakers said last month that the White House had transferred $20 million in Department of Homeland Security funds to air the advertisements, including one resembling a Trump campaign ad from 2024, and requested independent investigations. California Attorney General Rob Bonta also called for an investigation Monday, describing the spending as a misuse of public money. Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed Republican, previously said the advertisements were appropriate and rejected a request to investigate them.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 90 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 21
- Source articles
- 24
- Given to the writer
- 8, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 90 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →