Donald Trump said he would use his own money and funds from his Super Pac to pay for ads boosting his policies, after he drew widespread criticism for using taxpayer dollars on campaign-style messages weeks ahead of the midterm elections.
In a post on social media, the US president blamed the “Radical Left” for his decision to pay for the ads with money from Maga Inc rather than government coffers. He said he saw the ads as “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.”
“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.,” the president posted on Truth Social.
The move is a reversal for the president after he defended the television spots that ran during National Football League games and Saturday Night Live with funding allocated to the Department of Homeland Security.
Federal budget records show that $20mn was shifted to US Customs and Border Protection for “Commerative Events” (sic) on September 19. The next day, a Maryland-based advertising company was awarded a $20mn contract for a “National Media Campaign”, according to federal contract data.
The ads trumpeted Trump’s policy agenda and the president himself. One spot, posted by the president on X, says: “And on June 14, 1946, God looked down on His planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God gave us Trump.”
The messages spurred backlash from Capitol Hill to football fans who were disgruntled that the ads had inundated college and professional league games.
Trump previously defended the messages by calling them “public service announcements” and said he was not elevating any candidates but rather “promoting the country”.
The White House said on Monday that Maga Inc, the political action committee that underpinned Trump’s 2024 presidential run, would pay for the ads “moving forward”.
“Presidential Public service announcements are nothing new. Administrations of both parties have used public service announcements to explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction,” a White House official said.
The official cited as examples the Biden administration’s “We Can Do This” advertisements urging Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the Obama White House’s messages promoting Affordable Care Act open enrolment and George W Bush’s campaign explaining his Medicare policy.
Maga Inc is also set to funnel between $400mn and $500mn to boost Republican candidates in the November midterm elections. It has spent little so far, despite amassing record funds.