Trump reverses on taxpayer-funded ads after bipartisan backlash

Donald Trump reversed course on a controversial advertising campaign on Monday, agreeing to fund his political promotions through his MAGA Inc super PAC rather than continue drawing on taxpayer money. The shift came after sustained pressure from both Democrats and Republicans, along with ethics watchdogs who argued the arrangement likely violated federal law.

Over the past two weeks, at least thirteen television advertisements promoting Trump and his agenda had aired during prime time slots—NFL games, college football broadcasts, Saturday Night Live, and cable news—each carrying a disclosure that they were "paid for by the US government." One spot recycled footage from his 2024 campaign, featuring Trump discussing a "final battle" for America and promising to "demolish the deep state" and "expel the warmongers." Another paired photographs of the president with an R&B song called Love Me, promising that America "will never be a communist country." The White House had defended these spots as "public service announcements," not campaign material, since Trump himself was not on the ballot in the midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

The defense did not hold. In a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Democratic members of Congress called the arrangement "the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America." But the criticism crossed party lines. Republican senator John Kennedy told CBS that no public official, including Trump, should spend public funds on personal advertising. Watchdog organizations including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the ads likely breached multiple federal statutes.

On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would cover the costs himself, drawing from funds raised for MAGA Inc. "The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money," he wrote, before announcing he would instead pay "with money I raised for MAGA, Inc." Federal Election Commission disclosures showed the super PAC held more than $595 million in cash at the end of August.

The reversal came as Trump was campaigning in Nebraska, a reliably Republican state where the incumbent senator faces an unexpectedly strong challenge from a Democrat-backed independent. In recent weeks, Trump has traveled to Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas—states that would ordinarily be considered safe for Republicans—to shore up candidates facing tougher-than-expected races.

On the same day, Trump lashed out at The New York Times over its coverage of a recent rally in Ohio. The paper reported that several sections of the upper deck were noticeably empty by the time Trump finished speaking. Trump denied the claim entirely, insisting he has never had empty seats at any rally. He suggested that attendees seated in the upper sections typically migrate down to the main floor, a process he said "always happens." He called for the Times and other outlets to "be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country."

The attendance claims are difficult to verify independently, though Trump has indeed failed to fill venues at several recent events, including a special midterm convention in Dallas. The dispute over crowd size reflects a broader pattern: as Republicans face an uphill battle to maintain control of Congress, the president is simultaneously managing criticism over how his campaign is funded and how his rallies are portrayed.