Trump campaign ads paid for with public money violate federal law, critics say | Trump administration

Federal regulators have been asked to stop the release of White House ads promoting Donald Trump, which critics say constitute government propaganda and violate laws prohibiting the use of public money to promote partisan causes.

Public Citizen, an advocacy group, called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to step in and block the release of three ads that it said were “designed to reinforce the image and character of Donald Trump” as part of Republicans’ campaign for the November midterm elections.

“Federal law explicitly prohibits the use of state funds for government propaganda, self-aggrandizement, or partisan political advertising,” the organization wrote. “Yet this is exactly the nature of Trump’s recent campaign ads. »

Broadcast stations can’t reject ads from legally qualified political candidates — but Trump is technically not a candidate, although he urged voters to imagine he was when voting in November.

“Public Citizen strongly urges the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to order broadcasters to stop airing these apparently illegal campaign ads and calls on individual broadcasters to stop airing the campaign ads,” the group wrote in a letter to the two agencies.

“It is the responsibility of the FCC (and) the FTC and individual broadcasters to keep the airwaves fair and honest and to operate in the ‘public interest, convenience and necessity’.”

The White House called the ads — which began airing last week — “public service announcements” and responded defiantly to the criticism. He created a web page advocating for their use.

Axios reported that more ads would be released, with Trump personally choosing which one to use during the November midterm campaign, which most polls suggest Republicans are on track to lose.

“This is just the beginning,” an administration official, who noted the ads were being produced inside the White House, told Axios.

One is a replay of an ad the Trump campaign aired ahead of the 2024 presidential election and features black-and-white footage of him marching while his voice announces “the final battle.” He pledges to “get rid of the sick political class that hates our country” and to “rout the fake media.”

The only difference from the 2024 ad is the words “paid for the U.S. government.”

Another shows footage of the president at various events as he is heard declaring, “America will never be a communist country.” It takes place to the soundtrack of a choir performing the song Love Me.

A third ad shows images of Mount Rushmore and Trump declares that “the United States of America is the most prosperous, most accomplished and most exceptional nation that has ever existed in the history of mankind.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that the ads were funded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is responsible for enforcing immigration laws and is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS came under scrutiny earlier this year after a $200 million ad campaign that boosted then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Noem told a congressional committee that Trump “approved the ads.” Her testimony reportedly infuriated Trump, who then fired her.

Trump’s latest ads had aired more than 90 times on national networks, including Fox, Newsmax, MS Now and CBS, as of Sunday evening, the Journal reported. They have been broadcast during Saturday Night Live, Fox News Sunday, and at several college football and NFL games. Public Citizen said the cost of the three ads already aired was estimated at more than $1 million.

“Donald Trump is not a candidate for any elected office. The FCC and broadcasters are not limited by the special rule protecting candidate advertisements.

“Although the White House claims that these ads are ‘public service announcements’ and therefore can be funded with taxpayer dollars, (they do not meet) the standards of a public service announcement. They do not reference any specific government program and are not intended to inform the public about any specific government program.”

On its website, the White House denounced the criticism as “highly dishonest” and compared the ads to previous public service announcements from previous presidents, dating back to Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War I and World War II, and including the more recent administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“These ads are clearly not campaign ads; President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action,” the statement said, under the headline “Presidential Public Service Announcements Are Not New.”

“Instead, these announcements remind Americans to love their country and know why it is worth defending – at home, at the border and abroad. »

The Guardian has contacted the FCC and FTC for comment.