Trump himself demanded taxpayer-funded ads praising him: report

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he delivers remarks at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, U.S., May 22, 2026. REUTERS Kylie Cooper

The New York Times reports President Donald Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, “setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.”

“Mr. Trump was eager to see the laudatory ads on the air and told Russell T. Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to come up with the money from within the government,” said government sources speaking with the Times.

They added that Mark Paoletta, the budget office’s counsel, and Will Scharf, the White House counsel, both said it would be legal to use D.H.S. funds. And the president and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, both spoke with Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, about the ads.

The ads have hit expensive time slots on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, with football games on Fox and with national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, including “Meet the Press,” which the Times said Trump is known to watch.

The Times reports it was not clear why taxpayer funds, rather than money from Trump’s substantial super PAC, was used for the spots. Government sources speaking with NBC News say Trump did not even alert administrators that their budgets would be footing the bill.

The White House considers the ads public service announcements and has defended them as appropriate because there is no “call to action” to vote for any candidate. Aides also argue that Trump is not running for office now, “in an attempt to blunt criticism of the ads as violating federal laws about the use of public money.”

If so, critics say the “ads” amount to little more than an ego soothing, likely at a time when Trump knows he is personally sinking in national polls.

When pressed by a reporter on Wednesday, the Times points out that Trump said: “If somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money.”

Meanwhile, critics anxious about taxpayer-funded mid-term puff pieces for Trump can expect more on the way, said CNN. New information reveals the Trump administration has created at least 13 of the campaign-style ads as part of its controversial taxpayer-funded, multi-million-dollar effort to promote the president.

Yet-to-be-aired spots include a trio of ads highlighting Trump’s military and operations in Iran and Venezuela. One of the ads is called “God Made Trump” and another recaps the UFC fight Trump hosted at the White House.

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