White House defends Trump video ad Dems call "government propaganda"
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President Trump at the White House on Thursday. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Democrats are demanding a U.S. government-funded, campaign-style ad promoting President Trump be pulled as it airs weeks before the midterms, while the White House argues it's a public service announcement.
Why it matters: Federal agencies routinely spend taxpayer dollars on public service campaigns. Democrats argue using federal funds for a video that looks like political advertising crosses a legal red line.
Catch up quick: The video features Trump declaring "together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America once and for all" over the song "Love Me" by JMSN.
- It touts Trump-era policies "Largest Tax Cuts in History," "Reigniting American Manufacturing," "Defend Law and Order and Police," and "America Will Never Be a Communist Country."
- The clip went viral after CBS News Miami investigative reporter Jim DeFede posted about seeing it during a Fox News break Wednesday night.
- Top Democratic appropriators wrote to the White House Thursday, arguing that using taxpayer dollars for the ad violates a federal prohibition on government "publicity or propaganda."
Follow the money: AdImpact estimated $14,000 in spending on the ad. It ran on Fox News and Newsmax, AP reported.
- The ads have also aired on broadcast television, including CBS, which reported that multiple 30- and 60-second government-funded spots are airing.
What they're saying: In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Democratic lawmakers called the ad the "sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is an egregious and illegal misuse of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars."
- The four Democratic appropriators claim argue the ad violates the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which bars any taxpayer funds from being used to produce government propaganda.
The other side: A White House official said Friday the PSAs are "clearly not political," noting that Trump is not on the ballot in the Nov. 3 midterm elections and the ads don't have a call to action.
- A White House spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday, "These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad. The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country."
Zoom out: A White House official noted that previous administrations have used taxpayer funds for public service campaigns, pointing to Medicare and anti-drug messaging under George W. Bush, an Environmental Protection Agency campaign under Barack Obama and the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
- The official also pointed to government messaging during both world wars under Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Flashback: The Government Accountability Office has previously found some taxpayer-funded messaging by both Republican and Democratic administrations violated federal restrictions on government propaganda.
- In 2004, GAO found the Bush administration's Medicare news segments didn't disclose the government as their source to viewers.
- In 2015, GAO found an Obama-era EPA social media campaign violated the prohibition because some messages could reach audiences without revealing EPA's role as the creator.
Between the lines: GAO has said concealment of the government's role is central to a finding of covert propaganda. The Trump spot explicitly identifies itself as "Paid for by the U.S. Government."
