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 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.”

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.

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. 

Christa Pike told medical personnel that her arm felt as though it might “burst open” and questioned whether something had gone wrong during Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her, according to her attorneys.

Pike, 50, remains unconscious and on a ventilator after receiving two doses of pentobarbital during Wednesday’s botched lethal injection. The death-row inmate was convicted of killing her Job Corps classmate in 1995. Court filings cite experts who compare the drug’s effects to corrosive substances such as bleach or Drano.

Execution personnel reportedly made at least seven attempts to access a vein. According to the filing, one of the needles was removed bent at a 90-degree angle.

During the procedure at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Pike said: “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.”

She then asked the all-female execution team, “Does this happen like that?”

Her lawyers said witnesses heard Pike crying and struggling to breathe throughout the procedure.

Pike’s experts maintain that pentobarbital is a highly alkaline, caustic chemical capable of burning flesh, tissue and veins when it comes into contact with them. They likened it to common household products including bleach and Drano.

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After she was taken to a Nashville hospital, both of Pike’s arms were reportedly swollen, blistered and badly burned, court documents state.

Pike is believed to be the only person to survive a lethal injection after the execution drugs entered the bloodstream.

She has remained in critical condition since the failed execution. Her attorney, Randy Spivey, said she likely sustained permanent brain damage.

Pike was 18 in January 1995 when she killed her 19-year-old Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Pike later said she acted out of jealousy because she believed Slemmer wanted to take her boyfriend.

Pike, her 17-year-old boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and their 18-year-old friend Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer to a secluded area of the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, where they tortured and attacked her.

Pike ultimately killed Slemmer by striking her in the head with a piece of asphalt. She also kept part of the victim’s skull as a souvenir. A jury sentenced Pike to death in 1996.

Shipp was sentenced to life in prison because he was a minor at the time of the crime. Peterson, who testified against Pike and Shipp, received probation for her role as an accessory.

British prosecutors announced terrorism charges Friday against a 28-year-old man who was already being held in connection with the alleged killing of conservative politician Ann Widdecombe.

The Crown Prosecution Service charged Joshua Kerry, of South Yorkshire, with preparing terrorist acts. Authorities allege he engaged in conduct intended to facilitate terrorism, including potential acts targeting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage MP.

Kerry has remained in custody since late July, when he was arrested and accused of murdering Widdecombe, a former Reform UK and Conservative politician.

According to prosecutors, Widdecombe was having lunch at her home in Devon on July 8 when Kerry allegedly entered through the front door. Investigators say he struck her in the head 21 times with a hammer, took her wallet and left, with the attack lasting approximately two minutes.

Officials said the terrorism allegations concern a period stretching from May 31 through July 8.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counterterrorism Policing, said the charge followed an extensive investigation involving detectives, analysts and forensic specialists from across the country. She described the case as the result of “tireless work” and said investigators had pursued multiple lines of inquiry.

U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, posting on X, called the new charges against Kerry “extremely concerning” and sent her “profound sympathies” to the Farage family. She added that “an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all. This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life.” 

The Jo Cox Foundation, set up in honor of the Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, said in a statement, “No one in public life should have to fear for their safety. Violence, abuse and intimidation not only endangered individuals and their families, but threaten our democracy and have no place in public life. We must do more to prevent the rising levels of abuse and intimidation in politics.”

Kerry is scheduled to appear again at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

In a separate announcement Friday, Counterterrorism Policing revealed charges against two Iranian men accused of plotting an attack against the Jewish community in the Manchester area.

The Crown Prosecution Service charged Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 with preparing terrorist acts. Prosecutors allege the pair communicated with an overseas third party who may be located in Iran in connection with the alleged plot.

Evans described the charges as “extremely serious,” but said authorities do not believe the public faces an ongoing threat related to the investigation.

She said the alleged Manchester plot occurred during the High Holy Day period, coinciding with the anniversary of last year’s devastating terrorist attack at Heaton Park synagogue. The case also comes amid a broader rise in reported antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom.

Ahmadyan and Salehi have been remanded in custody and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

Joy Behar’s painful backstage fall has triggered behind-the-scenes discussions at The View about whether the veteran television host’s working environment needs to be made safer, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 83-year-old co-host was absent from Thursday’s broadcast after catching her heel backstage and falling, resulting in a dislocated shoulder.

Behar’s representative later confirmed that she did not break any bones and that her shoulder had been put back in place. The longtime TV personality is hoping to return to the ABC talk show as early as next week.

However, the alarming accident has led to conversations about possible behind-the-scenes changes that could allow Behar to continue appearing safely on the live program, according to network insiders.

Sources emphasized that there are no doubts about Behar’s ability to do her on-camera job, nor any effort at ABC to force the popular host out.

Instead, the incident has focused attention on the physical demands of a live television set, including navigating crowded backstage spaces and moving quickly between dressing rooms and the studio.

“Nobody wants to be accused of ageism, and nobody is suggesting Joy isn’t mentally capable of doing the job,” one insider told the Daily Mail.

“But she was seriously injured at work. This situation cannot continue without changes.”

According to the insider, producers are now weighing adjustments that could change how the talk show opens when Behar returns.

Behar, who turns 84 next week, has been a central figure on The View since its 1997 launch, aside from a two-season break. She is currently the show’s oldest co-host.

The discussions are reportedly centered not on Behar’s performance at the show’s famous Hot Topics table, but on ways to reduce the possibility of another accident off camera.

“Joy doesn’t want to be treated differently because she’s 83,” a second source said.

“But after something like this, producers cannot simply send her back into exactly the same environment and hope it doesn’t happen again.”

“Nobody wants Joy gone,” the source added. “They want her safe. And after a dislocated shoulder, doing nothing is no longer an option.”

At present, Behar and her fellow co-hosts walk onto the set at the start of the live broadcast before taking their places at the Hot Topics table.

But the Daily Mail has learned that producers are considering opening the program with the women already seated, removing the need for Behar to make the on-camera walk.

The source said producers are also discussing installing a ramp and reducing the number of steps needed to reach the set, making the studio more accessible for the veteran host.

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The Daily Mail has contacted ABC for comment.  

With Whoopi Goldberg, 70, absent from The View as she films the Netflix movie Women Like Us, and Behar nursing what probably was a painful injury, the moderator’s seat fell to Sunny Hostin on Thursday.

Hostin, 57, got the show started by explaining both Goldberg and Behar’s absences.

‘So Whoopi is still out making a movie and unfortunately our dear friend Joy dislocated her shoulder,’ she said, which caused the studio audience to gasp.

‘Yeah, so she’s recovering and will be back soon,’ she quickly added.

‘So, the two OGs are out today,’ Hostin went on, referring to the show’s two most senior co-hosts.  

‘So, apparently, the job went to the next oldest or let’s say seasoned co-host. I like seasoned better.’

Hostin was joined on the panel by fellow co-hosts Sara Haines, 49, Ana Navarro, 54, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, 37, and a familiar person in a bright pink blazer.

‘So, it’s a good thing that Sherri Shepherd is back to guest host,’ Hostin added.

Shepherd, 59, who left The View in 2014 after a seven-year run, said: ‘That’s what I love about The View family. No matter if we’ve never worked together, it’s still a sisterhood. 

‘If you leave, you’re still my sisters. We talk and have a good time. Even off air. I’m glad to be back.’

Behar has served on The View for nearly 30 years, beginning with her original run from 1997 to 2013 and followed by her return in 2015. 

She holds the record as the longest-running talk show host on the program.

The TV journalist previously missed a few days of the show in November 2025 after dropping an iPad on her foot and breaking a toe, per People.

She also took a planned two-week break from the table in June to perform her play, My First Ex-Husband, in London.

‘There’s been a lot of media attention on me lately because I’m taking off the next two weeks. They’re calling it a hiatus. It’s not a hiatus,’ Behar said, insisting it was for ‘work.’

Behar told People in 2022 she has ‘no plans to retire’ – because she loves her job and remains committed to The View.

‘I just signed a contract so I’ll be here for a while. I have no plans to retire,’ she told the outlet.

MOBILE, Ala. – President Trump told rally attendees in Alabama on Friday that he traveled to the deep-red state ahead of the midterm elections to honor some of his earliest and most loyal supporters.

“I’m here to say, hello, I love you and really as a sign of respect,” Trump said during his speech at the Mitchell Center, an arena at the University of South Alabama.

“You got to pay respect to people that have loved you right from the beginning,” the president added.

Trump contrasted the Alabama visit with his campaign appearance in Texas on Thursday alongside Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, saying he went there “because we have to win that race.”

Early in his remarks, Trump recalled that Mobile hosted his first mega-rally more than a decade ago.

“It sort of all began here,” Trump said.

He said his 2016 campaign team originally reserved “a little hotel” in Mobile for his appearance, but overwhelming ticket demand forced organizers to move the event to a football stadium.

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The Aug. 21, 2015, rally attracted an estimated 30,000 Trump supporters.

“We packed the stadium, and the rest is history,” Trump said.

The commander-in-chief also announced plans to return to Alabama on Oct. 10 to watch the Crimson Tide face the Georgia Bulldogs in a matchup between two college football powerhouses.

Turning to the election, Trump predicted victories for his slate of endorsed Alabama candidates, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville in the governor’s race, Rep. Barry Moore in the Senate race, and Rhett Marques and Jerry Carl in congressional contests.

“All these guys – they’re going to win, but you got to still get out to vote,” Trump said, again encouraging supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Later, Trump highlighted what he described as “$3 billion in funding from the Trump administration” for a new I-10 corridor bridge. He joked that Tuberville, if elected governor, might name the project after him.

“That’s a lot of money … $3 billion … maybe they’ll name the damn bridge after me, and I’ll be happy,” Trump quipped.