Maryland Congressional members called the ads propagandistic and illegal.
By Ashna Balroop and Rhiannon Evans
Capital News Service
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s new taxpayer-funded television advertisements are sparking backlash from lawmakers who consider the ads illegal and a misuse of federal dollars.
U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and George Whitesides, D-Calif., Thursday demanded federal watchdogs investigate the Trump administration’s use of taxpayer dollars to produce and air the ads.
“Stealing taxpayer dollars to pay for Mr. Trump’s narcissistic ego trips is plainly illegal,” Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Whitesides, a committee member, said in a committee press release.
One ad features photos of Trump during his presidency as well as from his 2024 campaign trail while he says in a voiceover, “America will never be a communist country.” The band JMSN’s song “Love Me” plays in the background. Another ad is a rerun from his 2024 campaign in which Trump claims he will fight communism, Marxism and socialism.
The ads have aired during news broadcasts and NFL games. Both ads end with, “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
Raskin and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., say the campaign-style ads are political. The ads air as midterm elections are weeks away and Trump is campaigning for GOP candidates.
“Trump’s ad is an egregious and utterly illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” Hoyer said in a Sept. 25 X post. “This ad must immediately be taken off the air, and those responsible must be appropriately reprimanded for this violation.”
“This is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America,” Hoyer said in a Sept. 24 letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. He sent the letter along with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., told Capital News Service, “The fact that President Trump is using taxpayer dollars to promote himself while Americans can’t afford to put food on the table or keep a roof over their heads is insulting. And it’s the latest example of how out of touch this president is with what Americans are dealing with.”
The Trump administration has painted these ads as public service announcements, asserting that other administrations have used them to “explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction.”
“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,” a White House spokesperson told CNS in an email.
“The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country,” the White House spokesperson said.
Capital News Service reporter Claire Huss contributed to this article.
