Democrats sue US President Trump over taxpayer-funded ad campaign

What the report says

The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump over television advertisements that Al Jazeera reported were publicly funded and aimed at promoting his political agenda ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The complaint, filed in Washington, DC, says the campaign misused taxpayer money for what Democrats describe as political propaganda.

According to the report, democracy watchdog Common Cause filed a separate lawsuit the same day over the same ads. Both cases argue that Trump directed the White House to redirect $20 million that Congress had allocated for border-security-related commemorative activities, and that using those funds for the ad campaign violated constitutional limits on executive spending and a congressional ban on publicity or propaganda with taxpayer dollars.

Al Jazeera reported that the advertising campaign began airing in September and had cost more than $12 million so far, based on tracking by AdImpact. The spots include references to a “golden age of America” and warnings about a battle against the “deep state,” and critics say one ad closely resembles a spot used in Trump’s 2024 campaign.

The article said the ads have drawn bipartisan criticism and were found deeply unpopular in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday. Trump has defended them as promotion for the country, but after backlash he said taxpayer funds would not be used for future ads. He did not say whether any money already spent would be repaid.