CITIZENS NEWS

Trump backs down: Super PAC, not taxpayers, will fund ‘Patriotic Ads'

By isabelle // 2026-10-06

• Trump said Monday that MAGA Inc. money will now pay for his Patriotic Ads.
• At least $10 million in taxpayer-funded ads had already run since September.
• Vance and FCC Chair Carr defended the spots as ordinary public service announcements.
• Reps. Raskin and Whitesides asked the GAO to investigate possible spending-law violations.
• It remains unclear whether anyone will repay the money already spent.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that money raised for his super PAC will now pay for his "Patriotic Ads," which had drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers and government watchdog groups for being paid with federal tax dollars, marking a reversal after pressure from both parties. The president wrote on Truth Social that he decided to pay for the ads "myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc." He blamed critics on the left for the uproar and called the spots a positive promotion of the country. The super PAC is separate from his personal funds, and he did not say whether taxpayers would be repaid. The shift came as at least $10 million in taxpayer money had already been spent on the ads since September, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. A $20 million contract for the buy went to LMD, a Maryland-based marketing agency, on Sept. 20 through Customs and Border Protection, a Department of Homeland Security agency, federal records show.

Vance, FCC chair defend ads as standard public service announcements

Vice President JD Vance stood by the ads Monday, telling reporters that past administrations have also used public money to promote their programs. He pointed to the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act ads as an example. Trump's White House halted that outreach in January 2017, the Washington Post reported at the time. "It's part of actually, I think, living in a constitutional republic," Vance said. "You have to be honest with the American people about what you're doing, about what's going on." Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, an ally of the president, also brushed aside the concerns, calling the spots "normal course public service announcements that you see all the time." He said nothing in them warranted FCC review. Carr has previously opened inquiries into several media outlets whose coverage has been critical of Trump.

Democrats seek GAO investigation, alleging violations of federal spending laws

Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and George Whitesides of California, both Democrats, asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the ad campaign. They allege it violates multiple federal spending laws, among them the Antideficiency Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Their letter calls the ads "desperate preelection propaganda." In one spot, Trump's voiceover promises that America will triumph over socialism and communism and touts a manufacturing comeback. Criticism has come from both parties, and at least one ad reused footage from Trump's 2024 campaign, which critics say blurs the line between public service messaging and campaign promotion. Singer Christian Berishaj, known as JMSN, has also objected to one ad's use of his song "Love Me."

Super PAC has the cash, but a legal question looms

MAGA, Inc. can afford it. It began September with roughly $415 million on hand, the New York Times reported, and AdImpact data shows it and two allied super PACs have since earmarked about $194 million for advertising ahead of November's midterms. The president had defended the taxpayer-funded approach as recently as last week, telling reporters in the Oval Office that the spots were for the country, not for any candidate or himself. "If somebody said that that's wrong, I'll gladly pay the money," Trump said at the time. The new arrangement could bring fresh trouble. The Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, has accused Trump in a Federal Election Commission complaint of breaking election law by steering the super PAC's spending, which federal law bars officeholders from doing. Trump has called the group's funds "my money that I control." A MAGA Inc. spokesman has said the group complies with the law. Trump's reversal ends taxpayer funding going forward, but it leaves a pointed question unanswered: will anyone repay the more than $10 million already spent? That money moved through Customs and Border Protection, an agency charged with securing the nation's borders, not producing promos for the president, and the White House has not yet said how the super PAC will pay. Sources for this article include: TheHill.com NYTimes.com CNN.com

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