Taxpayer-funded Trump adverts hit cable TV as White House defends spots
U.S. taxpayers paid for television adverts starring President Donald Trump that began airing this week on cable news.
The first spot started on Wednesday on Fox News and Newsmax, according to Variety. The administration had spent at least $443,000 placing that advert as of Friday. The bill is public.
A second 60-second advert followed on Friday. It features shots of Mount Rushmore at night.
On-screen text in the spots claims the administration enacted the “largest tax cuts in history” and is “reigniting American manufacturing.” One advert includes Trump declaring that “America will never be a communist country.”
The White House on Friday defended the adverts as public service announcements, meaning short messages said to serve the public, not campaign ads. It described them as “unapologetically American, clearly disclosed, and aimed at the country — not a line on the ballot.”
The White House told ABC News the advert is educational. Its statement said Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action in the announcements. It also publicised an official release titled “Presidential Public Service Announcements Are Nothing New.”
The advert does not tell viewers who to support in the midterms, the Associated Press reported. The same report said the messaging meshes with campaign messaging from Trump and other Republicans. As of 24 September reporting, the government organisation responsible for placing the commercial was not immediately clear, according to The Washington Post.
Criticism has come from both parties. Rep. Jamie Raskin said the advert may violate the Hatch Act, the U.S. law that limits political activity by federal employees. Sen. Thom Tillis called the taxpayer-funded advert “inappropriate.”
What makes this stand out for viewers is the slot itself. A presidential message bought with public money is now sitting between regular cable news ad breaks, and the White House says more such announcements will follow its public-service defence.
