A 30-second television advertisement featuring clips of President Donald Trump, anti-communist rhetoric, and boasts about tax cuts and law-and-order policies aired this week on Fox News and Newsmax with the on-screen disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” prompting Democrats to accuse the Trump administration of illegally using taxpayer money for partisan midterm messaging.
The 30-second spot includes the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government." https://t.co/3v0CXnawom
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) September 24, 2026
The spot, which tracking firm AdImpact said cost about $14,000 and ran during conservative programs, opens with Trump declaring, “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country.”
On-screen text touts “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY,” “REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING,” and “DEFEND LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE” over rapid-fire images of Trump at rallies and White House events. It closes with UFC CEO Dana White calling Trump “the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met.”
The soundtrack is JMSN’s song “Love Me,” with the phrase repeated over patriotic imagery. A Miami CBS reporter first flagged the commercial after seeing it Wednesday night during Jesse Watters’ Fox News show.
House Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin called the ad possible “felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes” and a Hatch Act violation. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., demanded the White House explain the ad’s funding and purpose, arguing it lacks a clear official government function and appears to violate appropriations-law bans on using public money for “publicity or propaganda” to aid a political party.
The Hatch Act limits political activity by federal employees and use of government resources in campaigns. The White House described the commercial as an “educational and unapologetically patriotic” public-service announcement. A spokesperson said the spots “remind Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending.”
An official added that the ads are “clearly not political” because the president is not on the November ballot and they contain no explicit call to vote.
The administration did not identify which agency paid for the buy. Fox News and Newsmax did not immediately comment. Federal appropriations bills routinely prohibit funds for unauthorized publicity or propaganda. Oversight of agency advertising is fragmented, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The administration previously drew scrutiny for a multimillion-dollar Department of Homeland Security campaign featuring then-Secretary Kristi Noem. Critics say the new spot echoes Republican convention messaging from Dallas earlier this month even though it does not name candidates. Supporters of the White House position note that government PSAs on patriotism and civic themes have a long history when they stay within legal bounds.