The 30-second spot ran on Fox News and Newsmax in markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami on Wednesday, tagged as paid for by the U.S. government.
Administration officials stated the commercial is educational and patriotic, comparing it to past public service campaigns under George W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Senator Maggie Hassan wrote to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on September 24 citing federal bans on taxpayer-funded propaganda, while Representative Jamie Raskin called the ad unethical.
A 30-second television advertisement promoting President Donald Trump began airing on cable networks on Wednesday night, bearing an explicit disclaimer stating that it was paid for by the United States government. Tracked by the media monitoring service AdImpact, the commercial has appeared during programming on Fox News, Newsmax, and connected television platforms across markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. The broadcast was seen on shows such as Primetime with Jesse Watters. The spot features a rapid sequence of images and video clips of Trump interspersed with American flags, military aircraft, and campaign slogans, all set to the R&B song "Love Me" by JMSN. In the commercial, Trump speaks about defeating communism, socialism, and Marxism, with the phrase "America will never be a communist country" remaining on screen for 15 seconds. The video concludes with Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White praising Trump over footage of a June match on the White House lawn.
The White House defended the commercial on Thursday afternoon, stating that the broadcast is an educational public service announcement rather than political campaign activity. Officials noted that the ad does not direct viewers to vote or take specific legislative actions, comparing the project to past federal messaging initiatives, including anti-drug campaigns under George W. Bush, coronavirus vaccination messaging under Joe Biden, and World War II radio broadcasts under Franklin D. Roosevelt. An uncredited shorter version of the clip had been posted to the official White House YouTube channel 11 days before the television rollout.
“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.”
White House representatives declined to answer questions regarding the total expenditure allocated for the campaign, the specific government appropriation account used, or the production team behind the footage.
The broadcast prompted pushback from congressional Democrats, who pointed to statutory restrictions on federal expenditures. Annual appropriations bills since the 1950s, including the spending measure Trump signed in February 2026, contain explicit bans against using appropriated taxpayer funds for publicity or propaganda designed to support a political party or candidate. Senator Maggie Hassan, the ranking Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, sent a formal letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles requesting documentation on the ad's production and financial sources.
“The advertisement raises deep concerns about the Trump Administration's use of taxpayer dollars and its compliance with federal laws that prohibit the use of appropriated funds for the promotion of a political party or candidate.”
Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, stated on social media that using official funds in this manner could constitute criminal conversion of government property for political campaign purposes and violate the Hatch Act. The legal questions follow earlier congressional scrutiny over executive advertising spending, including a 2004 Government Accountability Office finding against video segments produced during the George W. Bush administration, and a $220 million immigration ad campaign that preceded the dismissal of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March.
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A 30-second commercial promoting President Donald Trump began broadcasting on Fox News and Newsmax on Wednesday, carrying a disclaimer that it was paid for by the U.S. government.
AI text based on reports by The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other publishers. Published .