President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will no longer use government cash for television advertising extolling himself, which generated a massive outcry, and will instead rely on his super PAC to cover expenditures going ahead.
In a statement on his social media site, Trump defended the advertisements, which cost at least $1.5 million in government dollars and have sparked widespread criticism. Trump described them as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.”
Quick Fact
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| What happened | Trump said MAGA Inc. will pay for future advertisements previously funded by taxpayers. |
| Where | United States |
| When | October 5, 2026 |
| Who is involved | Donald Trump, the White House, MAGA Inc., and the Department of Homeland Security |
| Current status | MAGA Inc. is expected to fund similar advertisements going forward. |
| Why it matters | The spending has raised political, legal, and ethical questions about using taxpayer money for pro Trump advertising. |
Trump Says MAGA Inc. Will Pay
“This is a rather standard thing to do,” the president tweeted, while blaming heavy criticism for spending government money on advertising targeting the “Radical Left.” However, the president stated that he “decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”
That’s Trump’s political war fund, which had surpassed $400 million by the end of July.
Trump gave no information on how he would reimburse taxpayers for already broadcast advertisements, or how he would have his campaign organization pay for any future advertising.
The White House, which had vehemently defended spending government money on commercials promoting the president, announced Monday nite that MAGA Inc. will pay for such ads moving forward. It did not respond to queries about how it or Trump could verify that his political donations were being spent on such future advertising.
Trump’s quick about-face occurred after officials from both parties denounced the use of government funding for the advertisements.
Legal experts claimed the advertising may potentially violate federal regulations, such as a provision prohibiting the use of congressionally granted funds for “publicity or propaganda” and another that limits workers’ partisan political actions.
The spots began airing in late September
The first advertisement had recordings of Trump talking about conquering communism interwoven with onscreen text touting the “largest tax cuts in history,” “reigniting American manufacturing,” and a plea to “defend law and order and police.”
Later that week, a second advertisement began to air. It played picturesque views of Mount Rushmore alongside remarks and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech commemorating the country’s 250th anniversary.A third, more recent one looked almost identical to a commercial for Trump’s Republican reelection campaign in 2024.
