The Trump administration is using taxpayer money to air a TV ad from Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, which the White House calls “public service announcements.” The 30-second video is nearly identical to one that aired in 2024, showing Trump walking down a hallway with narration warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.”
The ad ends with Trump staring straight into the camera with the message “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The 2024 version of the ad urged viewers to “Join President Trump’s Fight for America.”
Spending on the latest ad has already topped about $319,000, according to AdImpact, which tracks media spending.
Trump’s Narration
Trump’s narration includes lines such as: “With you at my side, we will demolish the ‘deep state.’ We will expel the war mongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists; we will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists.” “We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”
A Second Ad
A separate minute-long ad began airing Friday featuring Mount Rushmore at night with clips from Trump’s Fourth of July speech marking the country’s 250th anniversary.
An earlier 30-second spot started airing Wednesday featuring Trump discussing defeating communism with text promoting “the largest tax cuts in history,” “reigniting American manufacturing,” and a call to “defend law and order and police.”
Lawmakers of both parties have criticized the ads for being inherently political and using taxpayer dollars.
The White House’s Defense
The White House defended the ads in a statement, saying: “The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads; President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action.” “Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad.”
The White House cited examples including George W. Bush’s administration airing a campaign about a Medicare law and the Biden administration running one about COVID-19 vaccinations.
The White House also called criticism of the ads “deeply dishonest.”
The Ads Compared
| Ad | Focus | Message |
|---|---|---|
| 30-second hallway spot | “Final battle” against globalists and warmongers | “Paid for by the U.S. Government” |
| Minute-long Mount Rushmore spot | Trump’s Fourth of July speech | Country’s 250th anniversary |
| Earlier 30-second spot | Defeating communism | Tax cuts, manufacturing, law and order |
The Money Behind It
Spending on the latest ad has already topped about $319,000, according to AdImpact.
The Bottom Line
The White House is making a familiar argument: past administrations used taxpayer-funded announcements to promote particular policies. That comparison holds as far as it goes, but it skips a key difference. Past announcements were about Medicare and vaccines — health policy. These ads are about a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers,” and they end with the government paying for the message. That is a different kind of announcement.
The White House has not explained why the public should fund it.
The ads are still running. Lawmakers of both parties have spoken out against them. The White House has defended them as public service announcements.
Key facts:
– Spending on the latest ad: $319,000+
– Source: AdImpact, which tracks media spending
– Ad formats: 30-second hallway spot, 1-minute Mount Rushmore spot, 30-second spot on defeating communism
– Dates: Ads began airing Wednesday and Friday
– Previous ad: Virtually identical to one that aired in 2024
The question of whether these ads are campaign ads is not settled by the White House’s own examples. It is settled by what the ads actually say and show.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs no side in this fight between a president and his own government and is against any office gathering power under the cover of “public service announcements,” whatever the cause. This ad uses taxpayer money to run a video that looks nearly identical to one from 2024, urges viewers to join a fight against “globalists” and “warmongers,” and ends with the government paying for the message. That is not public service; it is politics disguised as patriotism.
The White House defends the ads by citing past administrations’ announcements about Medicare and vaccines. But those were health policy messages. This ad is about a final battle against enemies of the nation, with the narrator naming groups like Marxists and fascists and calling for a war against the political class. The comparison the White House makes skips the point entirely.
The White House has not explained why the public should fund it. Lawmakers of both parties have spoken out against the ads, and the defense remains thin. The ads are still running, and the spending already tops $319,000. The paper will continue to track this story as long as the ads remain on air.
See the video the story is built around at PBS.
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