Trump takes his taxpayer funded ads to the airwaves of hated rivals CNN and MS NOW

The Trump administration's taxpayer-funded promotional ads for the president have expanded to CNN and MS NOW, two networks he has often attacked. The spots, which had already appeared on Fox News, CBS News and NBC News, are airing weeks before the November midterm elections, and critics argue their political content breaks federal law. The White House calls them patriotic public service announcements, according to The Independent.

The Washington Post reported, citing AdImpact data, that the government bought 38 spots on MS NOW and 10 on CNN, plus thousands of placements elsewhere, at a cost of more than $2. 87 million. One 30-second ad, "The Country He Loves," shows Trump pledging to defeat communism, socialism and Marxism. Another, "Final Battle," has him promising to rout the media and the deep state. Each says it was paid for by the U. S. government. Some critics note that one ad looks identical to a 2024 campaign ad.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, suggested possible theft of government property and Hatch Act violations. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told CBS News that officials of any rank, Trump included, shouldn't use public funds to promote themselves.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →