A White House ad boasting about President Donald Trump’s record and warning the United States “will never be a communist country” has run repeatedly on Fox News and Newsmax this week. It carries the disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. Government” and cost roughly $14,000.
Trump’s spot has him boasting about his record and his pledge to shield the nation from communism. It also contains a clip of Dana White, the CEO of UFC, speaking at the Republican National Convention, where he called Trump “the toughest, most resilient person I’ve ever met.”. The ad runs “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY,” with “REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING,” and “DEFEND LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE” appearing in bright red letters on screen.
The White House says it is educational
The White House refers to the announcement as “public service announcement”, and insists it is “educational” rather than political. A spokesperson issued a statement saying the announcements aim to remind Americans to love their country and grasp what makes it worth defending, both at home and at our borders and abroad. The spokesperson described the announcement as educational and proudly patriotic, adding that we should feel pride in our nation.
The White House official said the PSAs are clearly not political. They pointed out that the President is not on the ballot and the ads don’t carry a call to action.
Raskin calls it a Hatch Act violation
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, wrote a condemnation of the ad on X, saying: “This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes. It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.”
Certain political activities are restricted by the Hatch Act for federal employees, along with state, Washington, D.C., and local government workers who operate within or work in federally funded programs.
The ad’s history online
That version on the White House YouTube page, uploaded on Sept. 13 with the title “America Will Never Be a Communist Country.”, looks exactly the same as the video. It runs for 30 seconds, just like the clip that aired on Fox. But it carries no label.
The advertisement includes a statement from Trump, who is quoted as saying “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country.”.
Who watches the ads
The Congressional Research Service reports that no single federal office takes charge of watching over the spending of advertising money across departments. A number of rules govern how public money may be spent on PSAs, among them a prohibition against spending funds for “publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by the Congress” within the laws that supply money to government offices.
ABC News reports that Kevin Kosar, who wrote the 2014 CRS report and is now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the ad appears to be mere puffery.
The Trump administration’s past ads
The Trump administration — specifically the Department of Homeland Security — has faced criticism for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that featured then-Secretary Kristi Noem urging “self-deportation” and the $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign behind it. Trump pushed back then on suggestions that he had approved that ad, telling NBC News in March that he wasn’t thrilled with it. He said he spent less money than that to become president.
The question of intent
The White House’s case for the ad centers on calling it educational. It stands as a legitimate argument by itself. Yet the issue of whether the ad goes beyond educational content and becomes campaign activity remains unresolved.
Fox News and Newsmax host the ad, which comes with a government disclosure attached to it. The cost is $14,000, and its purpose is to promote Trump’s record while warning against communism.
Critics argue that the administration’s actions resemble campaign messaging, while the administration insists it is not political. The evidence is there for all to see. The verdict has yet to be rendered.
Key facts at a glance
| Detail | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ad cost | Roughly $14,000 |
| Cost of Homeland Security self-deportation campaign | $220 million |
| Comparison | White House position | Critic position |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Educational, not political | Campaign messaging |
| Disclosure | “Paid for by the U.S. Government” | Not labeled on YouTube |
| Oversight | No single agency | CRS restrictions apply |
Source material: “Is the Trump administration's campaign-style ad on Fox News taxpayer-funded?,” ABC13 Houston.
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