The White House has openly defended spending $5.5 million in taxpayer funds on advertisements that celebrate Donald Trump’s presidency.
The television spots feature patriotic imagery and footage highlighting Trump’s achievements, alongside a declaration that America “will never be a communist country.”
The commercials also use a song by American singer JMSN that repeatedly features the words “Love me.” The artist has objected to the use of his music in the campaign.
The advertisements began airing during commercial breaks on Fox News and other media outlets in late September. The New York Times reported that they were financed through taxpayer funding allocated to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to the newspaper, the ads were commissioned under a contract worth $20, with additional commercials expected to air.
At least four spots have aired so far, costing approximately $5.5 million, a figure that is expected to rise, according to media tracker AdImpact and people familiar with the spending.
A White House spokesperson told The Daily Mail that the advertisements are not political, insisting they are intended solely as patriotic public service announcements.
“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad. The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country,” the spokesperson said.
A DHS spokesperson said the department had followed “all applicable rules for contracting decisions.”
The Trump administration defended the White House’s use of $5.5 million in taxpayer money on advertisements praising Donald Trump’s presidency
The commercials feature patriotic imagery and footage of Trump’s accomplishments, as well as a promise that America “will never be a communist country”
The Daily Mail has contacted the Office of Management and Budget for comment.
One advertisement opens with nighttime footage of Mount Rushmore, accompanied by quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“We know that this is not an ending,” Trump says in the commercial. “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.”
The spot closes with an audio endorsement from UFC Chairman Dana White.
“He is the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”
The words “Paid for by the U.S. Government” appear on screen at the end of the advertisement.
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Politicians from both parties criticized the commercials on Thursday. Some pointed to laws barring the use of taxpayer money for “publicity or propaganda” and restricting partisan political activity by government employees.
Republicans seeking to protect their congressional majorities in the upcoming midterm elections have released advertisements featuring similar themes involving communism, the economy and crime.
Several House Democrats who hold senior committee positions called on Thursday for the first advertisement to be removed, describing it as “the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea.”
Funding for the spot, which began running on Fox News and in other TV networks during commercial breaks in late September, came from taxpayer funding of the Department of Homeland Security
The commercial ends with an audio clip of UFC Chairman Dana White praising President Trump
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who is not running for reelection, called the ad ‘inappropriate’ and likened it to something he would expect from the former right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Trump told the New York Times that he would ‘gladly’ pay for the commercials ‘if somebody said that’s wrong.
‘These are ads for the country. You have to understand. I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country,’ he said.
The bid is seen by many as part of a last-ditch effort to save Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
Trump is facing record low approval ratings, an unpopular war in Iran, and high gas prices as the elections are just weeks away.
Many Republican insiders in Washington are privately bracing for a major Democratic wave to sweep them out of power in Congress, leaving Trump a lame duck president for his final two years in office.
The latest polls show that Republicans are running behind, particularly in critical Senate races in Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, and even traditionally safe states for Republicans like Iowa and Texas.
Trump insisted the commercials are patriotic as he is not promoting himself as a political candidate
The shift toward Democratic control in the prediction market has been particularly notable because Republicans held the advantage in the Senate market for much of the Midterm campaign.
Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats compared with 47 for Democrats and have an advantage of 219-214 in the House.
The battle for the lower chamber is looking increasingly difficult for Republicans, with Democrats currently projected to hold around 230 seats compared with 200 for Republicans.
Democrats need 218 seats for a majority there and would need 51 Senate seats to be able to avoid a tiebreaking vote from Vance.