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Customs and Border Protection money paid for pro-Trump television ads
Washington, District of ColumbiaPublished 30 Sep 2026
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Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain · source
The administration used Homeland Security funds for spots it calls public service announcements. Democrats and some Republicans say the ads are political and should not be paid with tax dollars.
Television ads featuring President Donald Trump, marked paid for by the U.S. government, aired in the weeks before the November midterms. On Sept. 29, reporting tied the buy to a $20 million Customs and Border Protection contract funded from the One Big Beautiful Bill. The White House says the spots are patriotic public service announcements and that Trump is not on the ballot. Democrats call them illegal propaganda. Some Republican senators say taxpayer money should not pay for them.
Disputed facts
None yet.
Disputed opinions
None yet.
Trump using Homeland Security funds to finance TV ads before midterms
Published 29 Sep 2026 accessed 29 Sep 2026
Facts
The Trump administration is using Department of Homeland Security funds to pay for television ads promoting Donald Trump weeks before the midterm election.
AdImpact estimates the government has spent $1.7 million so far to air the ads.
The taxpayer-funded Trump ads appear to be paid for through the $20 million contract.
A third ad aired nationally during NFL games.
The White House did not answer USA Today's questions about which government funds paid for the ads.
DHS pointed USA Today to earlier White House statements that do not address the funding.
Chris Murphy wrote Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin seeking answers within 48 hours about DHS involvement in the ad.
Trump has urged supporters to pretend he is on the November ballot.
At a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump had attendees recite a pledge of allegiance to him.
Opinion
USA Today said Democrats have slammed the ads.
Murray and Murphy called the administration's defense of the ads absurd and offensive.
Murray and Murphy wrote that Trump is doing nothing to help people afford health care or housing.
Sen. Thom Tillis said he hates the ads.
Tillis compared the ads to Viktor Orbán talking to the Hungarian people.
Tillis said none of it made sense to him, especially because taxpayers paid for it.
USA Today said the midterms are showing signs of a potential Democratic blue wave.
USA Today said these ads, unlike earlier spots, do not promote a specific policy and instead praise Trump and attack political adversaries.
New Trump-focused "Love Me" ad campaign paid for by taxpayers hits airwaves
Published 25 Sep 2026 accessed 29 Sep 2026
Facts
The ad repeatedly flashes that America will never be a communist country.
A second ad recounts the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The ad touts tax cuts and support for domestic manufacturing and law enforcement.
Trump and his top Cabinet officials aired on CBS stations and other networks Thursday evening.
CBS News reported multiple versions of the ads, some 30 seconds long and others 60 seconds.
The U.S. government produced the ads and paid for the airtime through an ad agency.
Sen. Maggie Hassan wrote White House chief of staff Susie Wiles that the ad raises deep concerns about taxpayer dollars and asked what it cost.
Campaign finance experts said the commercial likely does not violate election law.
Briffault said there are still questions about whether the ad could violate the law against government propaganda.
Sen. Jacky Rosen has a bill to ban taxpayer-funded political ads that feature cabinet members.
Opinion
Dana White says Trump is the toughest, most resilient man he has met and that nothing was going to stop Trump from fighting for the country he loves.
Republican senator criticizes White House for taxpayer-funded Trump ads
Published 27 Sep 2026 accessed 29 Sep 2026
Facts
The White House is expanding a taxpayer-funded ad campaign promoting Donald Trump before the November midterms.
In March, Kennedy rebuked Kristi Noem for a $220 million series of ads she starred in.
Margaret Brennan asked John Kennedy about White House spending on multiple ads featuring Trump.
Margaret Brennan said viewers would see a 30-second commercial on the program.
Margaret Brennan said the ad is on all major networks and on cable.
Another Trump ad aired nationwide during the Ohio State-Illinois game on Fox.
Rep. Jamie Raskin argued that government employees who worked on the pro-Trump ad may have committed a Hatch Act felony.
The Guardian described the first ad as a 30-second highlight reel of Trump's second presidency.
Margaret Brennan asked whether the ad was the best use of taxpayer money.
Kennedy said the White House sees the ads differently.
The 30-second spot uses the closing riff of a campaign speech Trump gave dozens of times in 2023 and 2024.
The Guardian says cheers in the ad indicate the audio was recorded at a campaign rally.
The Guardian says Trump later used his power as president to start a war with Iran.
Trump posted that video on Truth Social in 2023 and 2024 with a fundraising plea.
The ad aired again during Fox News Sunday.
The ad played on giant screens at the 2024 Republican national convention.
The final-battle language was in Trump's campaign speech by July 2023.
Kennedy said he also opposed Trump's drive to put Trump's own name on public buildings.
Kennedy said his home state already has such a statute.
Margaret Brennan said she would watch whether Kennedy introduces that rule.
Opinion
Sen. John Kennedy told CBS News there ought to be a rule against that spending.
The Guardian said Kennedy tacitly admitted the spending is probably illegal.
Kennedy called Noem's ad spending masterclass dumb.
Margaret Brennan said the spot looks like a commercial about President Trump.
The Guardian said on-screen text in the ad suggests Democrats are communists.
The Guardian said the newest ad is even more obviously a partisan product than the first.
The Guardian said the Iran war has left some Trump supporters feeling betrayed.
The Guardian said that language is calculated to appeal to Christian supporters by echoing a biblical story.
Kennedy said no politician should have a building named after him while he is alive.
White House defends taxpayer-funded Trump ad Democrats want pulled
Published 25 Sep 2026 accessed 29 Sep 2026
Facts
Federal agencies routinely spend taxpayer dollars on public service campaigns.
AdImpact estimated $14,000 in spending on the ad.
The Government Accountability Office has found that some taxpayer-funded messages from both parties violated limits on government propaganda.
The GAO has said concealment of the government's role is central to a finding of covert propaganda.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
CBP Got $20 Million for a ‘Media Campaign.’ Lawmakers Say It Was a Misuse of Funds.
Published 29 Sep 2026 accessed 29 Sep 2026
Facts
Lawmakers say the $20 million transfer was an unauthorized use of funds that went around a prohibition Congress had written.
The pro-Trump ads are being paid for with Customs and Border Protection money, according to two sources.
Collins said an appropriations-bill restriction would have prohibited the spending.
The letter says DHS dedicated $20 million to the ad spending.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro's office said One Big Beautiful Bill money for Customs and Border Protection paid for the ads.
LMD Agency received the award through a larger Coast Guard contract vehicle.
That Coast Guard vehicle is normally used for recruitment campaigns.
Federal law prohibits using taxpayer dollars for publicity or propaganda.
Democracy Forward said the ads closely mirror Trump's 2024 campaign ads and raise the question of an unlawful use of public funds.
Murphy said Congress was not notified about the spending.
Opinion
The Washington Sun said the Trump-focused national ads are under ethical scrutiny for using taxpayer funds.
Democrats called the spending an improper use of funds.
Chris Murphy called the spending a banana republic.