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Trump says taxpayers will no longer fund TV ads that praise him
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump announced he will stop using taxpayer funds for television ads featuring himself, shifting the funding to either his personal funds or his MAGA PAC, following widespread criticism.
- The ads, costing at least $1.5 million in federal funds, aired ahead of the November midterm elections and included patriotic themes and slogans such as "America will never be a communist country."
- Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties criticized the ads, with Democratic officials calling for independent investigations into the use of Homeland Security funds for the campaign-style spots.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta demanded an independent probe, labeling the ads a misuse of public funds, while FCC Chair Brendan Carr defended the ads as appropriate and declined to investigate.
- Trump's MAGA PAC, MAGA Inc., which funds the ads going forward, had raised over $400 million by the end of July.
