President Donald Trump’s administration has spent federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on TV ads featuring the president, and the money appears to have come from a bill meant for border security improvements. The White House says the spots are public service announcements, but Democrats say the spending looks like campaign advertising.
Federal budget records show the funds were shifted into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) account on Sept. 19. That same day, a $20 million contract was awarded to the LMD Agency, a Maryland-based advertising firm. The contract was for a “National Media Campaign.”
CBP is the DHS agency responsible for securing the nation’s border and ports of entry.
How the Money Moved
The source of the money appears to be Trump’s signature tax and spending bill passed in 2025. That law provided $6.2 billion for border security improvements and “commemorating efforts and events related to border security.”
The funds were moved into the CBP account for “commemorative events.” Federal contract data shows the $20 million contract was awarded the next day to LMD Agency.
What the Ads Cost
According to an estimate from AdImpact, the federal government has spent at least $1.7 million to air three different TV ads featuring Trump in recent days. The White House has defended the spots as “public service announcements,” drawing comparisons to past administrations that created announcements to highlight new drug coverage under Medicare and signups for the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
In a statement to ABC News, a White House spokesperson said: “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad. The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country.”
Democrats Demand Answers
Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee are not buying it. They sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers about how the funds were broken down, whether the ads are expected to continue, and DHS’s role in facilitating their airing.
The letter states: “The American people deserve answers about how this president is literally stealing their tax dollars to air campaign ads celebrating himself — while doing nothing to help them afford health care or housing.”
DHS directed inquiries to the White House. LMD Agency did not immediately respond to ABC’s request for comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported the source of the federal funds.
The Core Question
The question is whether this spending serves the public interest. The White House says the ads are educational and patriotic. Democrats say the money was meant for border security and should not be used to promote a candidate.
The funds were drawn from a bill that included $6.2 billion for border security improvements. Instead, a portion of it appears to have been redirected into a media buy.
There is a difference between informing the public and promoting a political figure. Public service announcements can be useful. Political advertisements are another matter entirely.
The White House has framed the ads as educational, and the spokesperson’s statement leaned heavily on patriotism as justification.
A Watchful Eye
The letter from Democrats raises legitimate questions about transparency. The American people deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent. If the money was intended for border security, it should be used for border security.
The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements. Whether that defense holds up depends on what the ads actually say and how they are presented.
The money has been spent. The ads are on TV. The questions now belong to the White House, which has directed inquiries back to itself.
The principle matters. Taxpayer dollars should be spent on what they are meant for, and the public deserves to know when that principle is bent.
- Contract value: $20 million to LMD Agency
- Funds moved: Sept. 19, into a CBP account for “commemorative events”
- Ad spend estimate: $1.7 million for three Trump ads
- Bill source: Trump’s 2025 tax and spending bill, $6.2 billion for border security
The question of whether this spending was appropriate will remain open until the details are fully explained.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither the administration nor its critics on this one, since the record shows federal funds moving through a DHS account and a contract going to an advertising firm on the same day — a strange chain of events that needs explaining regardless of whether anyone calls the spending a campaign ad. The paper’s position is against government offices writing their own authority and against mandates on private life, but this case involves a federal agency and a contract award, not a private company’s power.
The question here is not about a candidate’s right to speak but about whether the government is spending money honestly. When a bill meant for border security improvements has funds shifted into a CBP account for “commemorative events” on the same day a $20 million contract goes to an advertising firm, the public deserves to see the full explanation, not just assurances from the White House.
The paper wants answers to the questions Democrats raised in their letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin: how the funds were broken down, whether the ads are expected to continue, and DHS’s role in facilitating their airing. The White House has directed inquiries back to itself, which is not a satisfactory answer.
Source material: “Pro-Trump ad campaign was financed by DHS: Sources,” ABC News.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.