President Donald Trump said he will pay for commercials praising his presidency himself and with money raised for MAGA, Inc., after the White House disclosed millions in taxpayer funds had already gone toward the spots.
The ads began airing in late September on Fox News and other networks during commercial breaks. They carried on-screen text reading “Paid for by the U.S. Government” and featured Mount Rushmore imagery drawn from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech honoring the country’s 250th anniversary.
Criticism from members of both parties followed. Trump then moved the remaining costs off the public ledger while keeping the message on air. That shift leaves opponents without the taxpayer-funding complaint they had seized on ahead of the midterms.
The Daily Mail reported that the White House had highlighted $5.5 million in taxpayer spending on the ads, which media tracker AdImpact and people familiar with the outlays also placed near that figure for at least four spots so far, with more expected.
Trump framed the commercials as promotion for the country, not a candidate. He told a reporter on Wednesday he would “gladly” pay for them “if somebody said that’s wrong.”
He added: “These are ads for the country. You have to understand. I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country.”
After the bipartisan pushback on Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social and announced the change in funding source.
He wrote:
“The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money.”
He continued in the same post:
“This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”
AP News reported that Trump’s super PAC MAGA Inc. would cover future costs, allowing the ads to continue after at least $1.5 million in federal funds had already been spent.
The White House defended the spots as public service announcements. A spokesperson said they remind Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending at home, at the borders, and abroad.
The same spokesperson called the ads educational and unapologetically patriotic, adding that Americans should be proud of the country. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the office followed all applicable rules for contracting decisions.
House Democrats with senior committee roles demanded the first ad be pulled, calling it the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea. That demand did not stop the airings, much as Democrats failed to advance a recent impeachment resolution against the president.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican not running for reelection, called the ad “inappropriate” and likened it to something he would expect from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Politicians noted that laws prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for “publicity or propaganda” and limit partisan political activities by government employees. No formal finding of a violation appears in the available record, and the administration maintained the spots stayed within the rules.
Breitbart reported that the federal government had spent over $10 million on the ads, funded through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with Democrats, some Republicans, and ethics groups warning of possible anti-propaganda problems and midterm timing.
Trump’s decision removes the remaining taxpayer exposure. The ads themselves stay on the schedule.
One commercial ends with audio from UFC Chairman Dana White:
“He is the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”
Clips inside the spots include Trump saying, “We know that this is not an ending,” and “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America,” drawn from the Mount Rushmore speech. American singer JMSN’s song “Love Me” appears in the ads; the artist has disputed that use.
The Washington Examiner reported that at least $10.1 million in taxpayer dollars had already gone out, again through Customs and Border Protection, and that Trump’s primary super PAC would now cover the costs. Trump has repeatedly said he is promoting the country rather than himself.
The Office of Management and Budget was contacted for comment. No response is recorded in the reporting.
Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats to Democrats’ 47 and a 219-214 House edge. Democrats are projected near 230 House seats against 200 for Republicans and would need 218 for a majority. In the Senate they would need 51 seats to avoid a tiebreaking vote. Critical or traditionally safe races in Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Iowa, and Texas have shown Republicans running behind in the latest polls, with midterms described as just weeks away.
That backdrop helps explain why the ads drew such sharp attention. Trump’s funding switch keeps the patriotic message in circulation without further public money, a practical outcome similar to other procedural wins such as the White House ballroom project moving forward while courts weigh related questions.
Just The News reported the same core decision: Trump will stop using federal funding for the patriotic ads and rely on Super PAC MAGA Inc. instead after heavy bipartisan criticism over legality and midterm timing.
The sequence is straightforward. Ads commissioned through a DHS-linked contract began running. The White House described the outlay. Lawmakers on both sides objected. Trump said he would pay personally and through MAGA, Inc. funds. The commercials continue.
Accountability questions over earlier federal contracting practices have surfaced in other settings, including when the Trump team flagged $1.22 billion in suspected fraud tied to Biden-era COVID contracts. Here the immediate issue was simpler: whether taxpayers should keep underwriting the spots once the political heat rose.
Trump answered that question by moving the remaining bills to private sources he controls. Critics who wanted the ads silenced did not get that result. They got a funding change and a message that keeps running.
Political momentum often follows the same pattern. Trump-backed candidates continue to advance, as when Byron Donalds cruised to the Florida GOP gubernatorial nomination with Trump’s support.
The ads use strong patriotic language and familiar imagery. The White House called them educational. Opponents called them propaganda. Trump called them a positive promotion for the United States and then put his own raised money behind them.
Taxpayers are no longer on the hook for the rest of the run. The country still hears the pitch.
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