The Trump administration is reportedly airing a new 30-second advertisement on Fox News, which has prompted criticism from Democrats regarding potential violations of federal rules against using taxpayer funds for political purposes. The ad includes the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government" and was noted by a local CBS reporter in Miami, who observed it on Wednesday night. Media monitoring service TVEyes reported that the ad aired at least three times overnight.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, condemned the advertisement on X, stating, "This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes." He further asserted that it constitutes a Hatch Act violation for any government employees involved in its production. The Hatch Act restricts certain political activities by federal employees and some state and local government workers involved in federally funded programs.
In response to inquiries from ABC News, the White House characterized the advertisement as a "public service announcement" and maintained that it is "educational" rather than political. A White House spokesperson stated, "These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad." They emphasized that the ads do not include a call to action and that the President is not on the ballot.
The advertisement appears similar to a video titled "America Will Never Be a Communist Country" uploaded to the White House YouTube page on September 13. In the ad, Trump states, "Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country." The ad features phrases such as "LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY" and "REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING" displayed prominently alongside images of Trump. It also includes a clip of UFC CEO Dana White praising Trump during the Republican National Convention.
According to the Congressional Research Service, there is no single agency responsible for overseeing advertising budgets within government departments. Restrictions exist on the use of public funds for PSAs, including a prohibition on using funds for unauthorized publicity or propaganda. Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, remarked that the advertisement appears to be "puffery." The Trump administration has previously faced scrutiny for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign featuring then-Secretary Kristi Noem, which promoted "self-deportation" and involved a $220 million taxpayer-funded budget. Trump had previously expressed dissatisfaction with that ad, stating, "I wasn't thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president."