The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump does not plan to reimburse the federal government for the taxpayer money already spent on what he’s called “Patriotic Ads,” despite the fact that he pledged on Truth Social to “pay for them myself.”
“The President’s Truth was not referring to reimbursement,” a White House spokesperson told The Washington Sun Tuesday.
The White House has characterized the ads as “Presidential Public service announcements” and said that they “are nothing new,” citing ad campaigns run by former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
“Administrations of both parties have used public service announcements to explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction,” the spokesperson said.
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In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump criticized the “Radical Left” for being upset about the campaign-style ads, which heavily feature the president. Trump then committed to paying for the ads himself with the money he has raised through his super PAC, MAGA Inc.
It is technically illegal for a U.S. president to direct the spending decisions of a super PAC under federal campaign-finance law. Trump has frequently called MAGA Inc. — the $400 million super PAC run by his political allies — “my money that I control.”
In another statement sent to The Sun on Monday night, a White House official confirmed that Trump will only pay for the ads “moving forward.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized Trump’s ads after reports that the administration used $20 million in Homeland Security funds to pay for the spots.
CNN reported last week that the Trump administration created at least 13 ads, but as of Tuesday, only four have aired.
The first of the four ads, which featured Trump speaking about communism over the song “Love Me,” started airing on Sept. 23. The administration’s latest ad, released Wednesday, centered footage of missile strikes and fighter jets, in an effort to bolster support for the largely unpopular Iran war. All of the broadcast spots say they were “paid for by the U.S. government.”
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