Staff Reports
Something smells rotten when the government pays to run ads that look like campaign commercials. The latest round of taxpayer-funded spots featuring President Donald Trump — some lifted straight from campaign footage and ending with the on-screen line “Paid for by the U.S. Government” — has everyone from the left to some Republicans asking the obvious: who signed off on this?
Taxpayer-funded ads or political propaganda?
The spots showed up on cable, streaming and big-ticket broadcasts like NFL and college football games. One of the most-talked-about spots — nicknamed “Final Battle” in coverage — runs in black and white with President Donald Trump promising to “demolish the deep state” and to “cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists,” before the screen flashes the disclosure: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” Records point to a $20 million media purchase tied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a DHS component. Contractors and the White House video shop appear to have produced and placed at least some ads, and some versions look alarmingly close to previous campaign material.
Courts, lawsuits and a copyright glitch
The Democratic National Committee and a Common Cause coalition sued, and a federal judge — U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon — ordered the government to cancel remaining airings, saying the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in arguing the spots are “purely partisan and unconnected to DHS’s official functions.” Plaintiffs later told the court ads continued to run after that order. Meanwhile, musician JMSN sent a cease-and-desist saying his song was used without permission. The legal fight will center less on the Hatch Act — which does not cover the President — and more on long-standing appropriations rules that forbid using federal funds for “publicity or propaganda.”
Conservatives should not applaud this shortcut
Look, I’m a conservative. I cheer for limited government and strong messaging. But using taxpayer money to air what looks like a campaign commercial is lousy governance and bad politics. If you want to win an election, do it with volunteers, donors and a real campaign wallet — not the federal procurement office. Congress and watchdogs should demand invoices, contract details and an explanation of which accounts were charged. If public money was misused, it should be paid back and officials held to task. Even the staunchest partisan shouldn’t want the government to become a permanent campaign shop.
Bottom line: accountability, not spin
Whether courts block more airings or a retroactive accounting clears the books, this episode should be a clear lesson: taxpayers pay for government work, not political ads. Don’t let anyone confuse separate Treasury policy outreach with the DHS/White House ad buys that sparked lawsuits. Oversight committees must get answers, the White House should explain who authorized the buys and whether the money will be reimbursed, and media vendors should check their ethics before taking federal cash for partisan-sounding spots. If we don’t insist on that, the next administration could do worse — and no one should be cheering when taxpayers are the ones left to pick up the tab.
