FCC Chair Brendan Carr said Wednesday that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump are not improper and do not warrant FCC review, dismissing criticism that the spots amount to government-funded political promotion five weeks before the midterm elections.
“There’s nothing in there that strikes me to merit any sort of FCC review or any liability for any broadcaster for running a regular, normal public service announcement,” Carr, a Republican appointed by Trump in January 2025, told reporters after an FCC meeting. He said the ads were “the types of PSAs that the government naturally and normally runs” and that “Republicans and Democrats routinely” air similar government spots.
The comments came as ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized three nationally broadcast ads celebrating a “golden age of America.” Democratic lawmakers said the White House moved about $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds for the campaign; ad-tracking firm AdImpact has estimated that airtime alone has already cost at least $2.5 million, with money coming from Customs and Border Protection.
Trump on Taxpayer Funded Campaign Ads: That's a countrywide ad. That's an ad for the spirit of our country. Now if somebody said that's wrong, I'll gladly pay the money, but these are ads for the country. I’m not promoting a candidate or myself. pic.twitter.com/A0E4uEdP2Z
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 30, 2026
One spot features Trump declaring that “America will never be a communist country” while a chorus repeats “love me.” Another pairs Mount Rushmore imagery with Trump praising a “golden age of America.” A third, titled “The Final Battle,” closely tracks a 2024 Trump campaign ad, showing him walking a hallway as he vows to “demolish the deep state” and “expel the warmongers from our government,” ending with the line “Paid for by the U.S. government.” The ads have run on broadcast networks, Fox News, “Saturday Night Live,” Sunday news programs, and college and NFL games.
Public Citizen filed complaints with the FCC, FTC, Government Accountability Office, and Office of Special Counsel, arguing the spots violate the longstanding ban on using federal funds for “publicity or propaganda,” related appropriations restrictions, and the Hatch Act. The group said the ads do not describe a government program and instead boost Trump’s image shortly before Election Day. Former Bush White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter called the effort potentially “an impeachable offense.” Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said spending public money on “private ads” for any official was “probably” illegal.
The White House has said the announcements are not campaign ads because Trump is not on the November ballot and the spots contain no call to action. Officials described them as reminders for Americans “to love their country and know why it’s worth defending at home, at the border, and abroad.” Carr separately accused groups such as Public Citizen of trying to “weaponize the FCC’s license renewal process.” The FCC’s lone Democrat, Anna Gomez, said that as a private citizen she understood why people viewed the spots as political ads and expected more questions from Congress, which controls appropriations.