DNC sues Trump over $20M ad campaign funded by taxpayers
The Democratic National Committee is suing the Trump administration for using millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund what they claim are political television advertisements only weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.
Without congressional authorization, the Office of Management and Budget diverted $20 million from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection account for “commemorating efforts and events related to border security” to fund the ad campaign.
DNC’s lawsuit alleges that the television ads, which began airing Sept. 23, constitute “a clear violation of the Congressional ban on the use of appropriated funds for ‘publicity or propaganda purposes.’”
It points out that many of the 13 taxpayer-funded ads – which the White House argues are simply public service announcements – mirror the Republican Party’s midterm campaign messaging.
One of the newest ads uses language identical to a 2024 Donald Trump presidential campaign ad.
“The partisan aim of the propaganda ads is beyond question,” the lawsuit claims. “The sole differences between the Final Battle Ad and the 2024 Campaign Ad are that the Final Battle Ad includes the disclosure that it is ‘Paid for by the U.S. Government’ while the 2024 Campaign Ad ends with a graphic that says ‘Join President Trump’s Fight for America’ and then displays a second graphic of President Trump’s 2024 campaign logo.”
By Monday, the ad campaign had received so much backlash that Trump promised MAGA Inc., a Republican PAC, would pay for the ad airings going forward.
But the DNC filed a lawsuit regardless because the “campaign-style advertisements”, it argues, also undermine “free and fair elections” by putting Democratic candidates at an electoral disadvantage.
“The Trump Administration’s illegal use of taxpayer dollars for campaign-style advertisements deprives the DNC of a fair electoral process by adding public funds to the resources available to support Republican candidates…[and] by preserving funds held by campaign committees and PACs—including MAGA Inc.—for other political expenditures,” the lawsuit claims.
Trump has protested the allegations, writing in a social media post that the “Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money. This is a rather standard thing to do[.]”
The White House declined to comment but referred The Center Square to both the president’s post and also instances of previous administrations using taxpayer dollars to fund PSAs meant to “explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction.”
The Obama administration ran ads costing taxpayers tens of millions to promote Affordable Care Act health plans. The Biden administration spent at least $235 million in taxpayers’ money on ads promoting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and virus prevention rules.
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