The White House has openly defended spending $5.5 million in taxpayer money on advertisements that praise Donald Trump’s presidency.
The television commercials feature patriotic imagery, footage highlighting Trump’s achievements and a pledge that America “will never be a communist country.”
The spots also use “Love Me,” a song by American singer JMSN, who has disputed the commercials’ use of his music.
The advertisements began airing during commercial breaks on Fox News and other media outlets in late September. Their funding came from the Department of Homeland Security’s taxpayer-funded budget, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper reported that the campaign was commissioned under a contract worth $20, with additional commercials expected to air.
At least four advertisements have aired so far, costing approximately $5.5 million. The total is expected to rise, according to media tracker AdImpact and people familiar with the spending.
A White House spokesperson told Our News Outlet that the commercials were not political, describing them instead as purely patriotic.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
A DHS spokesperson said the department had followed “all applicable rules for contracting decisions.”
The Trump administration defended the White House’s use of $5.5 million in taxpayer money for advertisements praising Donald Trump’s presidency
The commercials feature patriotic imagery and footage of Trump’s accomplishments, along with a promise that America “will never be a communist country”
Our News Outlet has contacted the Office of Management and Budget for comment.
One commercial shows scenic nighttime footage of Mount Rushmore alongside quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech at the monument, where he honored the country’s 250th anniversary.
“We know that this is not an ending,” Trump says in the advertisement. “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.”
The commercial concludes with an audio clip of UFC Chairman Dana White praising the president.
“He is the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”
The words “Paid for by the U.S. Government” appear onscreen at the end.
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Politicians from both parties criticized the advertisements on Thursday. Some pointed to laws barring the use of taxpayer funds for “publicity or propaganda” and restricting partisan political activity by government employees.
Republicans seeking to protect their congressional majorities in the upcoming midterm elections have released advertisements featuring similar themes involving communism, the economy and crime.
Several House Democrats holding senior committee positions called on Thursday for the first commercial to be pulled, describing it as “the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea.”
Funding for the spot, which began running on Fox News and in other TV networks during commercial breaks in late September, came from taxpayer funding of the Department of Homeland Security
The commercial ends with an audio clip of UFC Chairman Dana White praising President Trump
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who is not running for reelection, called the ad ‘inappropriate’ and likened it to something he would expect from the former right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Trump told a reporter on Wednesday that he would ‘gladly’ pay for the commercials ‘if somebody said that’s wrong.’
‘These are ads for the country. 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,’ he said.
The bid is seen by many as part of a last-ditch effort to save Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
Trump is facing record low approval ratings, an unpopular war in Iran, and high gas prices as the elections are just weeks away.
Many Republican insiders in Washington are privately bracing for a major Democratic wave to sweep them out of power in Congress, leaving Trump a lame duck president for his final two years in office.
The latest polls show that Republicans are running behind, particularly in critical Senate races in Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, and even traditionally safe states for Republicans like Iowa and Texas.
Trump insisted the commercials are patriotic as he is not promoting himself as a political candidate
The shift toward Democratic control in the prediction market has been particularly notable because Republicans held the advantage in the Senate market for much of the Midterm campaign.
Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats compared with 47 for Democrats and have an advantage of 219-214 in the House.
The battle for the lower chamber is looking increasingly difficult for Republicans, with Democrats currently projected to hold around 230 seats compared with 200 for Republicans.
Democrats need 218 seats for a majority there and would need 51 Senate seats to be able to avoid a tiebreaking vote from Vance.
