The White House is defending its decision to run campaign-style ads promoting President Trump during NFL games and network news broadcasts. The 30-second spots include the tagline “paid for by the U.S. Government.” The White House calls them public service announcements, but Democratic lawmakers and former ethics officials argue they are political ads and violate federal appropriations laws and the Hatch Act. One 30-second ad, titled “Final Battle,” is nearly identical to a campaign video Trump posted to Truth Social in 2024. In the ad, Trump promises to expel “the warmongers,” “globalists” and “deep state” actors from government. More than $300,000 has been spent on the ad.

President Donald Trump: “We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, “It’s a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.”