Democrats sue Trump over $12m in taxpayer-funded ads
DNC lawsuit says federal money illegally paid for campaign-style spots promoting president weeks before midterms
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has sued the Trump administration in federal court, seeking to block the use of taxpayer money for television advertisements the party says illegally promote President Donald Trump and his agenda.
Filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, the lawsuit argues the administration broke federal rules barring appropriated funds from “publicity or propaganda purposes,” alleging the White House directed the effort and used federal agencies to pay for and distribute it.
The spots, which began airing in September, have cost more than $12 million, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, drawn from $20 million the Department of Homeland Security tapped for the campaign.
One advertisement was reportedly recycled from Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump has defended the ads as patriotic public messaging.
After bipartisan criticism, he said future spots would be paid for by his MAGA Inc. political action committee rather than taxpayers — but the White House has said it will not reimburse money already spent, and another government-funded ad aired after his announcement.
The dispute lands amid broad public unease: a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 86% of Americans, including about four in five Republicans, considered it inappropriate to use taxpayer money for election-related ads featuring the president.
The complaint says the spots aired on major networks and during high-profile sports and entertainment programming, putting government-funded pro-Trump messaging before large audiences weeks before the Nov. 3 elections.
A court will decide whether the spending broke the law.
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