U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, United States, September 30, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Donald Trump said Monday night that he and his political action committee would pay for controversial television ads praising him, reportedly funded with $20 million set aside by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The White House later clarified that the super PAC — MAGA Inc. — would now pay for what it calls public service advertisements, not ads that have already aired.
Trump’s announcement follows continued backlash against ads released in the weeks leading up to the November midterm elections.
These elections will determine whether Trump’s Republicans retain their majority in both houses of Congress.
Critics say the ads mirror Republican campaign arguments. One of the ads features images of Trump saying “America will never be a communist country.”
“The radical left is upset that I am taking ads, which I view as positive promotion for our great United States, and paying for them with American money,” Trump said in an article on Truth Social on Monday.
“It’s a pretty standard thing to do but, rather than do that, even though nothing will make them happy, I decided to do patriotic ads, among other things, and pay for them myself and with the money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” Trump said.
AdImpact traced approximately $9.7 million spent to air three ads featuring Trump, funded by taxpayer funds, through October 5.
Trump’s announcement came three days after The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that “Trump personally asked his budget director to use taxpayer dollars for television ads praising him and his presidency.”
The Times said federal money to pay for the ads became available Sept. 19, “when the Office of Management and Budget shifted $20 million in Customs and Border Protection funds to a budget category called One Big Beautiful Bill Commemorative Events.” Customs and Border Protection is a division of the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., in a Sept. 24 letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, wrote: “The ad lacks a clear official government purpose and appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions against the use of appropriated funds as part of a ‘general propaganda effort intended to assist a political party or candidates.’
Last week, the advocacy group Public Citizen filed a lawsuit urging the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and television networks to stop airing these ads. Public Citizen previously asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether the ads violated federal propaganda restrictions and the Hatch Act. This law restricts the participation of federal government employees in political campaigns.
A White House spokesperson defended the ads in a late September statement to CNBC, calling them “public service announcements” intended to remind “Americans to love their country and understand what is worth fighting for, at home, on our borders and abroad.”
“The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country,” the spokesperson said.
MAGA Inc. raised $424.4 million and spent $32.4 million in the 2025-2026 cycle through Aug. 31, leaving the Trump Super PAC with $415.8 million in cash, according to its latest Federal Election Commission filing.
MAGA Inc. has spent at least $57 million this election cycle, according to CNBC’s analysis of FEC filings, including $25 million in independent spending reported since late August.
—CNBC Luc’s Fountain contributed to this article
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