Trump administration begins airing 2024 Trump campaign ad in latest
taxpayer-funded messaging
[September 28, 2026] WASHINGTON
(AP) — The Trump administration is using taxpayer funds to air a
television advertisement from Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign
in the latest in a series of ads promoting the president ahead of the
midterms that the White House maintains are “public service
announcements.”
The 30-second video, which is virtually identical to one that aired in
2024, shows Trump walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard
warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.” The
black-and-white video ends with Trump staring straight into the camera
lens with a message that says: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The
2024 iteration of the ad from the Trump campaign urged viewers to “Join
President Trump’s Fight for America.”
Lawmakers of both parties have criticized the new series of ads for
their inherently political nature and the use of taxpayer dollars. The
White House maintains they are like the ones used by past presidents,
though those previous ads promoted particular policies, not Oval Office
occupants.
Spending on the latest ad already topped about $319,000, according to
AdImpact, which tracks media spending.
“With you at my side, we will demolish the ‘deep state.’ We will expel
the war mongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists;
we will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists,” he says in the
narration. “We will throw off the sick political class that hates our
country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America
from these villains once and for all.”
It’s in addition to a minute-long ad that began airing Friday and
features scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips
from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country’s
250th anniversary. An earlier 30-second spot that began airing on
Wednesday features clips of Trump talking about defeating communism
interspersed with onscreen text promoting the “largest tax cuts in
history,” “reigniting American manufacturing” and a call to “defend law
and order and police.”
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President Donald Trump pumps his fist on the first tee box prior to
the Presidents Cup golf tournament final round singles matches
between the USA and International teams at Medinah Country Club,
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The White House in a statement on Friday defended the use of what it
described as “public service announcements” and dismissed criticism
of them as “deeply dishonest.”
“The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads; President
Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action,” the
White House said. “Instead, the announcements are a reminder for
Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending —
at home, at the border, and abroad.”
Examples cited by the White House include George W. Bush’s
administration airing a campaign about a Medicare law and the Biden
administration running one about COVID-19 vaccinations.
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