Trump flip-flops and halts taxpayer funding of his 'patriotic ads'

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 6, 2026

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President Donald Trump has reversed course and ordered the government to stop paying for his campaign-style ads that Uncle Sam had been bankrolling with millions in taxpayer dollars.

In a rare retreat, Trump said he would instruct the MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward to pay to air the provocative ads, which are virtually identical to ones his campaign funded during his 2024 presidential run.

“I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

Democrats Tuesday cheered the unusual Trump flip-flop, which they said was likely due to a backlash from voters and pushback from endangered Republican lawmakers.

“It’s never because he wants to, but I’m glad he was pushed into making right decision,” said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-New York, who leads a Democratic effort to counter what it calls Trump efforts to improperly meddle in the midterms.

Critics have said they will push the White House to repay the government for the more than $20 million spent so far and pledge to avoid spending any more public money on the spots.

Trump did not mention any plan to reimburse the feds for the money it has spent on the questionable ads so far, which were funded by the Department of Homeland Security, whose mission is supposed to be to keep Americans safe from terrorism and other threats.

With the midterm congressional elections looming in just a month’s time, Trump ordered the use of millions in federal funds to air at least three ads, mostly during weekend pro and college football games.

One 30-second black-and-white spot depicts the president grimly striding down a hallway as he calls for a “final battle” against “globalists” and the “fake news media.”

“We will liberate America from these villains once and for all,” he intones in the ad.

It ends with Trump staring straight into the camera lens as a message appears saying: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The exact same ad aired during the 2024 campaign, except that it had a standard tag that it was paid for by his presidential campaign.

Trump and other White House officials defended the ads as a “reminder to Americans to love their country.” Vice President JD Vance defended Trump’s decision to order taxpayer funding for the partisan message, just hours before Trump pulled the plug on it.

Even as he reversed course, Trump repeated his defense of the ads as inoffensive public service messages. Some officials compared them to previous administrations’ paying for ads to urge Americans to take advantage of government benefits, like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare or COVID vaccinations.

“I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money. This is a rather standard thing to do,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

Even Trump’s new plan may be legally dubious, critics say.

Super PACs like MAGA Inc. are legally required to make spending decisions independently and not coordinate with political candidates, a rule Trump appears to be openly violating by vowing to instruct MAGA Inc. to pay for the ads.

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