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Taxpayer-funded Trump 'final battle' ads cost nearly $1.5m as Republicans join calls to halt 'banana republic' propaganda

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Taxpayer-funded Trump 'final battle' ads cost nearly $1.5m as Republicans join calls to halt 'banana republic' propaganda

Nearly $1.5 million in public money has been spent on pro-Trump television ads ahead of the midterm elections, with at least three spots echoing his 2024 campaign messages and ending with the caption 'Paid for by the U.S. Government.' The ads have aired during NFL games, Fox News, CBS and Saturday Night Live, prompting a wave of criticism from ethics lawyers and — strikingly — from Republicans in Congress.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the spending 'totally completely illegal', saying Trump is 'stealing your money for his campaign.'

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie savaged the ads on X, writing: 'Using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal… in banana republics.'

MoreThe IndependentTrump ignites outrage from political world by ‘stealing’ from taxpayers to fund ad campaign: ‘Completely illegal’NewsweekFull List of Republicans Speaking Out Against Taxpayer-Funded Trump Ads - NewsweekBangor Daily NewsDonald Trump’s taxpayer-funded ‘final battle’ ad hits Maine TV - Bangor Daily NewsThe IndependentTrump trolled by Republican over TV ads: ‘Completely legal... in banana republics’APTaxpayers have funded nearly $1.5M in pro-Trump ads. Criticism is mounting, including from the GOPReutersTrump government ads draw scrutiny weeks before midterm elections
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