Taxpayer-Funded Commercials to Air On CNN, MS NOW

The Trump administration has bought taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Donald Trump on CNN and MS NOW, even as it has sought to bar both networks from the White House.

The spots, which carry a “Paid for by the U.S. Government” disclaimer, denounce the “deep state,” “globalists,” “warmongers” and the “fake news media,” and vow to defeat “communism, socialism and Marxism.” They aired locally rather than nationally. “Final Battle,” a 30-second ad, ran on MS NOW in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington and once on CNN in Los Angeles. “The Country He Loves,” in which Trump promises to defeat communism, socialism and Marxism, aired on MS NOW in Los Angeles and on CNN in Los Angeles and Albany, New York.

Through Wednesday, the administration had placed 38 ads on MS NOW and 10 on CNN, according to AdImpact data reported by The Washington Post. The same campaign has also run on Fox News, Newsmax, CBS, NBC and ABC. AdImpact estimated the administration has spent at least $2.87 million on three ads. The Wall Street Journal reported that the buys were funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

The White House declined to discuss the specific spending. In a statement, it called the spots public service announcements “about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.” MS NOW has said that accepting an advertisement is not an endorsement of its message.

The buys are notable because Trump announced about two weeks ago that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from White House grounds, calling their coverage negative and “fake news.” Journalists from the three outlets were denied access and had their press passes confiscated. The outlets sued, arguing the ban discriminated by viewpoint. A federal judge paused the bans and ordered access restored, finding the outlets were likely to succeed. Variety reported that the White House later removed CNN from the press pool for a presidential trip to Texas and Oklahoma.

The ads echo a 2024 Trump campaign video and have drawn bipartisan criticism ahead of the November midterms, with some lawmakers and ethics experts questioning the use of public money for spots that promote the president. A source told CNN that Trump personally helped shape the ads, including the imagery.