Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on taxpayer funds used for TV ads promoting Trump

Federal money is paying for television commercials that promote President Donald Trump, and the practice is drawing scrutiny five weeks before the midterm elections. One 30-second spot aired during NFL games over the weekend. Its footage comes from Trump's 2024 campaign advertising, but it now closes with a notice that the U. S. government paid for it. The White House calls it a public service announcement rather than a political ad, citing Biden-era COVID vaccine ads and Obama-era Affordable Care Act promotion as precedent. NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report, speaking on PBS NewsHour, said those comparisons are imperfect.

Keith reports that at least three such ads exist. AdImpact, a firm that tracks advertising, shows the government has spent more than a million dollars on them, with airtime during sporting events and on FOX News and Newsmax. The White House has not told her which department is paying. She sees an effort to energize Republican base voters and also reach sports fans who avoid politics, in line with his team's wish that the midterms revolve around him.

Walter said the ads look like a clear Hatch Act violation and questioned the politics, since Republicans in tight races want distance from Trump and the ads ignore cost of living. Host Geoff Bennett cited a federal ban on using appropriated funds for unauthorized propaganda.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →