President Donald Trump reversed course Monday and announced that his super political action committee would now pay for the television ads promoting him that have been airing nationwide at taxpayer expense.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote, “I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”
More than $10 million in taxpayer-funded ads have run since September, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking service. The ads, which are running on cable and network television, were paid for through a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats — and some Republicans — have criticized the ads as a possible violation of federal laws for using taxpayer funds for “publicity or propaganda purposes.” The ads were broadcast in the heat of the campaign for the midterms, as Republicans are trying to hold control of Congress. At least one of the ads featured footage that originally had appeared in a 2024 Trump campaign video.
The White House had defended the ads as simply public service announcements. But the use of material that had originated in a campaign provided further fuel to critics of the ads.
There were four different ads, and each featured an unusual disclaimer: “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
One of them featured images of Trump as the song “Love Me” by Christian Berishaj played. The artist, who performs as JMSN, has complained about the use of his song.
The New York Times wrote over the weekend that Trump had personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads. Federal records show that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, awarded a contract to LMD, a Maryland marketing firm, on Sept. 20.
Trump referred to the backlash in his post.
“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,” he wrote, defending them as “a rather standard thing to do.”
The White House did not immediately respond to an email for comment or how the president’s super PAC would pay for the ads. A spokesperson for MAGA Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s claim in his social media post that he would pay for the ads “myself” through his super PAC is likely to add fodder to another formal complaint against the president.
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A campaign watchdog, the Campaign Legal Center, accused Trump of violating federal election laws by directing his super PAC in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission because of his previous claims to control the super PAC.
Trump has referred to the super PAC’s funds has “my money that I control” in the past.
Federal law bars federal officeholders from directing spending decisions for a political organization with no contribution limits, such as a super PAC.
Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., said at the time, “MAGA Inc. fully complies with the law.”
Trump’s political committee can certainly afford to pay for the ads: MAGA Inc. entered September with about $415 million on hand. MAGA Inc. and two super PACs affiliated with it have since set aside about $194 million for advertising ahead of November, according to AdImpact data.
Trump had defended the use of taxpayer money for the spots just five days earlier. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the president said: “If somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money.”
“But these are ads for the country,” he said. “You have to understand. I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.