President Donald Trump’s taxpayer-funded public advertisements touting his administration’s agenda ahead of the midterms have been rebuked by some Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. The White House has aired three advertisements touting his policies ahead of the midterms. One advertisement features Trump delivering a critique of communism while the song "Love Me" by JMSN plays in the background, ending with the UFC CEO Dana White praising Trump as the "toughest, most resilient person that I've ever met." Another features Trump discussing campaign pledges to "demolish the deep state" and expel "the warmongers from our government," while a third advertisement features Trump discussing the nation’s "golden age of America" while showing him speaking at Mount Rushmore.
The advertisements, which the White House has described as public-service announcements, have drawn bipartisan scrutiny, with critics raising concern about whether they constitute reasonable use of taxpayer dollars. Spending on the first ad has reached at least $443,000, according to The . They put Trump front and center on TV just weeks ahead of the midterms, which have become a referendum on his administration.
Polls suggest many Americans are increasingly frustrated with the president, amid concerns over the economy, cost of living and surging gas prices. Democrats are hoping that Trump’s unpopularity could help them retake control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Several Republicans have broken from Trump over the advertisements.
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told CBS News’ Face the Nation that he does not agree with the advertisements on Sunday. "I don't think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves," he said. "Now, the White House sees it differently, but I think there ought to be a rule that you can't—well, there probably is a rule—you can't spend public money to promote yourself." Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, compared the advertisements to something that would be seen in a banana republic.
"Don’t worry, using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal…in banana republics," he wrote. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters the advertisements are "inappropriate," reported The Hill. "It’s not like they need a GoFundMe page to have the dollars to do that sort of ad and they could do it.
But using taxpayer dollars, it feels like Viktor Orbán," he said. Former Representative Justin Amash, who served in Congress as a Republican but has left the party, wrote in a post on X, "A taxpayer-funded propaganda TV spot. This is the most shameless administration of our lifetime." Conservative commentator Erick Erickson said the ads are "not a public good" and constitute a "waste of taxpayer dollars" in a post on X.
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