By Hadriana Lowenkron and Josh Wingrove | Updated on Oct 06, 2026 at 12:20 AM
President Donald Trump pledged to pay for video ads with his personal funds — and money from his super political action committee — following ethical concerns about the messages that are running at taxpayer expense.
“The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money,” Trump said on social media Monday.
“This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc,” he added, referring to his main super PAC.
The White House had previously defended the advertisements — one of which offers positive images of Trump, a photo montage about fighting Communism and a voiceover saying that a golden age for the US has begun — as public service announcements that encourage Americans to love their country. They’ve also said that Trump is not on the ballot in November’s midterm elections and that the ads do not encourage voters to back anyone.
Read more: Democrats Decry Taxpayer-Funded Ads Lauding Trump as Illegal
Democrats and a watchdog group have said the videos potentially violate spending laws that prohibit the use of funds for “publicity or propaganda purposes,” and ethics rules. Late last month, the watchdog group Public Citizen filed a complaint with the independent Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel.
Trump and his Republican Party are in danger of losing control of Congress in next month’s elections, with the president’s approval at record lows and broad discontent over his economic agenda, in particular high prices squeezing US households.