# Republicans Join Democrats to Blast Trump's Taxpayer-Funded Ads

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/republicans-join-democrats-to-blast-trumps-taxpayer-funded-ads
- Published: 2026-09-29T01:12:08.140184+00:00
- Topics: campaign-finance, trump-administration, government-spending, hatch-act, propaganda

## What the left says
- Government funds are being used to produce and air content that closely mirrors Trump's 2024 campaign advertising, including near-identical scripts, imagery, and dark, autocratic rhetoric about 'final battles' against enemies of the state.
- Legal experts and ethics attorneys warn this could violate the Hatch Act, anti-propaganda statutes, and federal ethics rules against using government resources for political messaging, with some calling it potentially criminal or impeachable.
- Congressional Democrats have formally demanded the ads be pulled and that federal employees involved be disciplined, comparing the tactic to state propaganda seen in authoritarian regimes like North Korea.
- The ads' use of an artist's song without authorization adds a copyright violation on top of the ethical and legal concerns, reflecting a broader carelessness about rules and consent.

## What the right says
- Several prominent Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senators Thom Tillis and John Kennedy, have publicly broken with the White House to say taxpayer money should not fund ads promoting Trump's political message.
- Some conservatives argue the president has ample campaign and party resources to pay for this kind of messaging without dipping into public funds, making the taxpayer funding unnecessary and hard to defend.
- The White House maintains the spots are legitimate 'public service announcements' consistent with practices used by past administrations, not campaign ads.
- Fiscally-minded conservatives and limited-government voices see this as a matter of principle around waste and misuse of public funds, regardless of which party is in power.

## Common ground
- The ads combine Trump's voice and imagery with policy messaging and were paid for with public funds rather than campaign donations.
- Lawmakers from both parties, including Republican Senators Tillis, Thune, and Kennedy alongside Democratic Representative Raskin, have raised concerns about the legality and appropriateness of the spending.
- The total cost of the ad campaign has reached at least $1.5 million and is continuing to air across major television networks.
- There is shared concern that using taxpayer dollars for politically-charged messaging sets a troubling precedent regardless of which administration does it.

## Sources
- [Salon](https://www.salon.com/2026/09/25/pro-trump-love-me-ads-paid-for-by-taxpayers/) (Left)
- [The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/09/problem-with-trumps-taxpayer-funded-ads/688817/?utm_source=feed) (Lean Left)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-28-0700/campaign-finance-democrats-sound-alarm-over-trump-anti-socialist-ad-paid-us-government) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-28-0700/campaign-finance-white-houses-new-taxpayer-funded-ad-rehash-trumps-2024-campaign-promo) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-28-0700/campaign-finance-trumps-taxpayer-funded-ads-draw-bipartisan-criticism) (Center)
- [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/sen-john-kennedy-slams-trumps-taxpayer-funded-ad/) (Lean Left)
- [Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/trumps-taxpayer-funded-ads-are-receiving-bipartisan-criticism/) (Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6116369-thune-criticizes-trump-ads/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6116228-mulvaney-criticizes-white-house-ad/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/6115518-taxpayers-funding-presidential-political-messages/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6114658-richard-painter-donald-trump-taxpayer-funded-tv-ads/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6114342-trump-nfl-ad-airing/) (Center)
- [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/28/taxpayers-funded-nearly-15m-pro-trump-ads-criticism-mounting/) (Right)
- [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/28/white-house-faces-bipartisan-backlash-stylish-taxpayer-funded-ads/) (Right)

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