The White House says these propaganda ads are PSAs. They’re not.

The White House is defending a batch of new government-funded television spots that feature President Donald Trump, insisting they are public service announcements and not propaganda. MS NOW argues that description does not hold up. Three ads have aired so far, and they mostly showcase Trump, his supposed accomplishments and clips of his speeches, with little new information for viewers. In a Friday press release, the administration said the spots are meant to encourage Americans to value their country and understand why it merits protection at home, at the border and abroad. It also said Trump is not on the ballot and the ads carry no call to action.

Federal spending bills have carried a ban since the 1950s on using appropriated money for publicity or propaganda within the United States that Congress has not authorized. The Government Accountability Office has said government media escapes that label only if it is not self-aggrandizing, not purely partisan and not covertly misleading about its source. MS NOW contends the Trump ads are self-promotional and political in tone, even without naming the Republican Party or upcoming elections.

To justify the spots, the White House pointed to Obama-era health insurance enrollment ads, Biden-era Covid-19 vaccination ads, a Bush-era Medicare Part D campaign, and the world war information agencies under Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →