Trump won’t reimburse taxpayers for money already spent on campaign ads, White House says

President Donald Trump says he will personally cover the cost of a set of promotional videos that were paid for with public funds, but the White House says that does not mean he will repay what has already been spent. Trump announced on Truth Social that he would fund the "Patriotic Ads" and others himself and with money raised for MAGA, Inc. The White House then told The Independent he was not talking about reimbursement. It is unclear how he would direct a super PAC's spending, since he is legally barred from doing so.

The ads, which close with a line saying the government paid for them, speak of a "final battle" against globalists and warmongers. Members of Congress investigating the campaign say the Department of Homeland Security has a reported $20 million budget for them, with $10 million already spent and over $2 million more on national television airtime, where they have run hundreds of times. The singer JMSN has demanded the administration stop using his song.

The White House compares the spots to past public-information campaigns on Medicare drugs, vaccines and health enrollment. Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics lawyer, calls the spending illegal propaganda.

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