Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, has told CBS News that the White House is spending taxpayer money on ads promoting President Donald Trump’s political agenda before the November midterm elections. Kennedy called the practice “probably” illegal and said there “ought to be a rule” against it.
The ads are called “public service announcements” by the White House, but Kennedy is not buying it. “There ought to be a rule,” he told CBS News host Margaret Brennan, before admitting the spending is “probably” against the law.
The Ad That Calls Itself Paid
One of the ads features Trump and includes a voice praising him as “the toughest, most resilient person I ever met.” At the end of the ad, it says “paid for by the US government.”
The ad was produced for Trump’s 2024 election campaign and was posted on his Truth Social account in 2023 and 2024 with a plea for funds from supporters. It was also played on giant screens during the 2024 Republican national convention before Trump’s speech accepting his party’s nomination.
When the ad was broadcast during the convention by C-SPAN on 18 July 2024, it was identified as material “provided by the Republican National Committee.” A separate ad aired nationwide on Saturday during a college football game between Ohio State and Illinois on Fox, and again on Fox News Sunday.
Trump’s Own Words
That ad shows a moody, black-and-white shot of Trump staring into the camera as the soundtrack plays the closing riff of a campaign speech he gave dozens of times in 2023 and 2024. Trump says in the ad:
“This is the final battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state; we will expel the warmongers from our government; we will drive out the globalists; we will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists.”
The ad ends with cheers from a crowd.
Noem’s Precedent
Kennedy has a record of calling out this kind of spending. He said he previously rebuked Kristi Noem, then Trump’s homeland security secretary, for spending millions in government funds “to bolster her public image” in a $220m series of ads she starred in.
He described Noem’s actions as “masterclass dumb” and said he called her out on it. Kennedy argued no public official “should spend public money … on private ads for themselves.”
He acknowledged there “probably is a rule” against spending public money to promote oneself.
Kennedy’s Own Rules
Kennedy also opposed Trump’s drive to put his own name on public buildings. “I also think that we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him while he’s alive,” he said.
He added there is such a statute in his home state. Brennan responded: “Well, we’ll watch, Senator, if you introduce that.”
The exchange suggests Kennedy is willing to name the rule, even if he has not introduced it yet.
The Pattern Is Widespread
The ads appear in multiple formats across multiple platforms. The football-game ad aired nationwide on Saturday during the Ohio State-Illinois game on Fox, and again on Fox News Sunday. The convention ad appeared on C-SPAN during Trump’s speech accepting the party’s nomination.
The pattern is consistent across all of them. A public official, a crowd, a promise to expel the warmongers, and a disclaimer that says the message comes from the government itself.
The ads are not subtle. They promote Trump’s political agenda while carrying a disclaimer that says “paid for by the US government.” That combination — taxpayer funding and personal promotion — is the core of Kennedy’s complaint.
Kennedy has raised the issue publicly. He has named the rule he thinks exists and admitted it is probably against the law. He has also called out Noem for similar spending.
The ads are a reminder that political messaging is rarely neutral. Kennedy’s concern is that taxpayers are paying for it. He has named the rule he thinks exists and admitted it is probably against the law.
For now, the ads continue to run.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs Senator John Kennedy’s call for a rule against using taxpayer funds for political advertising and is against the White House spending such money on ads calling itself public service. The ads feature Trump, carry a disclaimer saying they were paid for by the US government, and promote his political agenda — exactly the kind of spending Kennedy has criticized before in Kristi Noem’s case.
The paper supports giving taxpayers a direct say in how their money is spent, and it opposes money vanishing into a budget nobody voted on line by line. When the government spends taxpayer funds on ads promoting its own candidates, it is spending money nobody voted on for a purpose nobody authorized. That is a concentration of power the paper is against.
Kennedy has named the rule he thinks exists and admitted the spending is probably against the law. Whether he introduces that rule remains to be seen. For now, the ads continue to run, and the paper will keep watching them.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Ad type: Called “public service announcements” by the White House
- Trump quote: “We will expel the warmongers from our government; we will drive out the globalists; we will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists”
- Noem ad series: $220m, starring herself
- Kennedy’s position: “There ought to be a rule”; the spending is “probably” illegal
- Broadcast dates: Convention ad on C-SPAN, 18 July 2024; football-game ad, Saturday nationwide on Fox, then Fox News Sunday
Source material: “Republican senator criticizes White House for taxpayer-funded Trump ads,” The Guardian.
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