Trump refuses to repay taxpayers the $20m spent on campaign-style ads he promised to cover HIMSELF
From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026 · last updated 7 October 2026.
Trump will not reimburse the federal government for up to $20 million in taxpayer money already spent on a series of pro-Trump promotional ads, the White House confirmed on Tuesday, directly contradicting the impression left by the president's own Truth Social post the night before. Trump had written Monday that he would "pay for them myself" and through MAGA Inc., his super PAC, but a White House official told reporters his post "was not referring to reimbursement." When pressed by journalists as he left the White House, Trump offered only "We'll decide."
The ads — funded through the Department of Homeland Security — carried the disclaimer "Paid for by the US Government" and included footage lifted almost directly from Trump's 2024 campaign.
Critics on both sides of the aisle called the spots illegal propaganda, with one congressional member comparing them to "the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea."
Singer-songwriter JMSN issued a cease-and-desist after his song 'Love Me' was used without permission in one of the ads.