Trump pledges to fund ads privately

On October fifth, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he would pay for pro-Trump ads himself using money raised for MAGA Inc. instead of using government funds.

“I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”

But government kept spending after the pledge

An NPR analysis of AdImpact data found nearly ten million dollars in taxpayer money was spent on the ads after October fifth, despite Trump's promise to fund them privately.

Nearly twenty-two million total from taxpayers

Since the campaign began in late September, nearly twenty-two million dollars in taxpayer funds has been spent airing pro-Trump ads, according to NPR's analysis of AdImpact data.

Five ads promoted Trump and his policies

The ads included a montage of Trump photos with singers performing, a duplicate of a two thousand twenty-four campaign ad, and two promoting military operations in Venezuela and Iran.

Judge ordered ads to stop on Sunday

A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit by Common Cause issued a temporary ruling Sunday night ordering the government to cancel all ad placements, but the ads continued airing for several hours.

“shall cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements”

White House says court notice came too late

A White House official told NPR the government did not receive notice from the court in time to cancel the ad buys and said future ads would be paid for by outside groups.

“The PSAs will be paid for by outside groups moving forward.”

Eighty-six percent of Americans oppose the ads

A Reuters slash Ipsos poll found eighty-six percent of Americans said it is inappropriate to use taxpayer funds for election-related television ads featuring the president or cabinet members.