Admin Uses Gov't Funds to Air Trump Ad 09/28 06:29

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is using taxpayer funds to air a 
television advertisement from Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign in the 
https://apnews.com/article/paid-for-us-government-ad-trump-political-60c020f7ecb
7a071c4c604f659388949 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."

   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.