# Trump's taxpayer-funded propaganda blitz

> The White House is airing TV ads promoting Trump using federal money, likely breaking the law.
- Title: Trump's taxpayer-funded propaganda blitz · Vox | Shortify
- Summary: The White House is airing TV ads promoting Trump using federal money, likely breaking the law. Trump's administration has spent hundreds of thousands in…
- Keywords: donald trump, white house, taxpayer money, political advertising, ethics violation, midterm elections 2026, news, culture, Trump's, taxpayer-funded, propaganda, blitz
- Source: Vox — https://vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/504484/trump-white-house-ads-taxpayer-money
- Author: Cameron Peters
- Published: 2026-09-28T22:10:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: donald trump, white house, taxpayer money, political advertising, ethics violation, midterm elections 2026, news, culture
## Trump ads on your dime
The Trump administration aired a thirty-second TV spot over the weekend promoting the president, paid for with federal money.
## What the ad says
Trump promises to demolish the deep state and expel communists and fascists, with black-and-white footage of him walking down a hallway.

> demolish the deep state, expel the warmongers from our government, and cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists
## Three ads, all Trump-heavy
This is the third Trump-centric ad in a week. The others featured his speech clips and photos with the song Love Me playing.
## Hundreds of thousands spent
The newest ad cost at least three hundred nineteen thousand dollars. The Love Me ad cost taxpayers at least four hundred forty-three thousand dollars.
## White House calls them public service
The administration defends the ads as public service announcements, noting Trump is not on the ballot. But the black-and-white spot mirrors a two thousand twenty-four campaign ad.
## Ethics experts say likely illegal
Trump has asked voters to pretend he is on the ticket for the midterms. Ethics experts say using taxpayer money to promote him is probably against the law.

> pretend I'm on the ticket
## Key takeaway

Trump's administration has spent hundreds of thousands in taxpayer money on TV ads promoting the president, which ethics experts say is likely illegal.