President Donald Trump has said his MAGA Inc super PAC will pay for the taxpayer-funded ads that sparked bipartisan outcry in Washington. In a Truth Social post on Monday, October 5, Trump said he would pay for the “Patriotic Ads” himself or with money raised by the committee, ending the use of public funds for the spots. The reversal followed days of criticism over millions of dollars in federal money spent on television commercials glorifying him just weeks before the November congressional elections.
FAKTA
- Announcement: Monday, October 5, 2026 — Trump said on Truth Social that he would pay for the “Patriotic Ads” himself or with money raised by his MAGA Inc super PAC.
- The ads: three to four nationally broadcast spots celebrating a “golden age of America,” aired since September and shown during football games as recently as Sunday.
- Cost: ad-tracking estimates range from about $5.5 million to more than $10 million; the spots were paid through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract, according to reports.
- Contents: one ad features Trump declaring “America will never be a communist country” while a chorus repeats “love me”; another pairs Mount Rushmore imagery with “golden age” praise; a third covers the Iran war with remarks by Trump and Pete Hegseth. All carried the tagline “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
- MAGA Inc: Trump’s super PAC entered the fall with a war chest of about $400 million.
- Critics: lawmakers from both parties questioned the use of public funds; Representatives Jamie Raskin and George Whitesides asked the GAO and the Office of Special Counsel to investigate; Senator Adam Schiff demanded proof the practice has stopped and that the money be repaid.
Backlash over the taxpayer-funded ads
The spots began airing in late September and ran during football games as recently as Sunday. All carried an unusual tagline: “Paid for by the U.S. government.” Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties questioned whether public money was being used to promote Trump politically so close to the November congressional elections, warning the ads could violate longstanding restrictions on government “publicity or propaganda.”
Democratic lawmakers said last month that the White House had transferred $20 million in Homeland Security funds to air the spots — including one closely resembling a 2024 Trump campaign video — and sought independent probes into the spending, a campaign Watan News is following in its world news coverage.
Mount Rushmore imagery featured in one of the taxpayer-funded ads celebrating a “golden age of America.” (Illustration: Watan News)
Trump reverses course on Truth Social
“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,” Trump wrote on Monday. He said it was “a rather standard thing to do,” but added: “I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”
A White House official told reporters on condition of anonymity that the ads would going forward be paid for by the PAC. The White House had defended the spots as public service announcements with no call to action, noting that Trump is not running for office — a point Trump repeated himself: “I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country.”
When pressed by a reporter last week, Trump had already signaled a possible climbdown: “If somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money.”
Legal questions and calls for accountability
Despite the reversal, critics are demanding proof that the taxpayer funding has fully stopped and that the money already spent is repaid. Senator Adam Schiff publicly demanded evidence that the practice has ended permanently and called for the return of any misused funds.
Before the announcement, Representatives Jamie Raskin and George Whitesides had formally asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether the administration illegally used taxpayer money. Their letter called the commercials “desperate pre-election propaganda,” pointing to federal statutes that bar the use of appropriated funds for political purposes.
The U.S. Capitol: lawmakers questioned whether public funds were used to promote Trump politically weeks before the midterms. (Illustration: Watan News)
Conclusion
Trump’s decision to have MAGA Inc fund the ads marks a sharp reversal after days of bipartisan criticism over the use of public money for the spots. But with questions about past spending unanswered and watchdogs being asked to investigate, the controversy over the taxpayer-funded campaign is far from over. This article is also published on the Watan News main website.
