Nation · National
Trump says MAGA Inc. will pay for pro-Trump ads after criticism of a $20 million taxpayer-funded campaign
After pushback from Democrats and some Republicans, President Trump said Monday his super PAC will cover pro-Trump ads that had been funded by the government through a $20 million Homeland Security contract.
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What happened
President Trump said Monday that his super PAC, MAGA Inc., will begin paying for a series of pro-Trump ads that had been running on national television with government money, CBS News and ABC News reported. The ads carried the label "Paid for by the U.S. Government" and began appearing late last month on cable and broadcast networks as the November midterm elections approach.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the practice "a rather standard thing to do" but said he would change course. "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, according to both outlets. A White House official confirmed to ABC News that MAGA Inc. will pay for the ads moving forward.
How the ads were paid for
The contract
Contracting records show the Department of Homeland Security awarded LMD Agency $20 million for a "National Media Campaign" starting Sept. 20, CBS News reported. A day earlier, the White House Office of Management and Budget granted Customs and Border Protection $20 million for "OBBB Commemorative Events," according to a nongovernment database cited by CBS. CBS said the government produced the content and bought the airtime through an ad agency. ABC News reported the government has spent at least $2.5 million on the ads.
What has aired
ABC News reported that four ads have aired over the last two weeks. One shows Trump in monochrome walking down a hallway and describing "the final battle" against "the deep state." Another features clips of Trump at events with onscreen text about the "largest tax cuts in history," and ABC said one ad was a direct copy of a spot Trump's campaign ran in 2024. CBS News described a version with a recording of Trump vowing to defeat communism and another recounting the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while the latest ad focuses on the U.S. war with Iran.
The administration's defense
A White House official told CBS News last month that the spots "are clearly not political," noting the president is not on the ballot and the ads lack a call to action. On Monday, a White House official told ABC News that administrations of both parties have used public service announcements to explain policy.
Vice President JD Vance also defended the ads Monday, ABC News reported. "They're not partisan," he said. Last week in the Oval Office, Trump said he was promoting the country, not himself or any candidate, and added that if someone said that was wrong, he would "gladly pay the money."
Criticism from both parties
Democrats and watchdogs
A group of Senate Democrats wrote in a letter last month that the campaign was "an egregious and illegal misuse of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars," according to CBS News. ABC News reported that ethics watchdogs and several congressional Democrats called the ads inappropriate, and some critics said they could violate federal propaganda law.
Republicans
Some Republicans also objected, ABC News reported. GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said on "Face the Nation" that no public official "should spend public money on private ads for themselves," according to CBS News.
What the super PAC shift means
By moving the ads to MAGA Inc., Trump is drawing on a nine-figure war chest that many Republican candidates hope will be spent in battleground states before the midterms, CBS News reported. The group had more than $400 million on hand at the end of August, according to Federal Election Commission filings cited by CBS.
CBS reported that the group has spent tens of millions of dollars on the Texas Senate race, where Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton is in a tight contest with Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico. ABC News noted Trump has urged Republican voters to "pretend" he is on the ballot. More national campaign coverage is in our elections section and Nation section.
What to watch next
- MAGA Inc. taking over payment for the ads going forward, as confirmed by a White House official to ABC News.
- How the super PAC, which reported more than $400 million on hand at the end of August, spends ahead of the November midterm elections.
- Continued spending in the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico.
- Critics' claims, reported by ABC News, that the government-funded ads could violate federal propaganda law.
