President Donald Trump is using $20 million in Homeland Security funds to air a dozen TV ads praising him and his achievements, including “PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” a month before midterm elections.
One ad, “Final Battle,” was used in his 2024 campaign. It has been edited and now concludes with the words: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” Homeland Security officials learned about Trump tapping their budget for the ads through media reports.
Another ad, previously used to promote Trump’s presidential campaign, works on the theme “God made Trump, repeatedly extolling the reasons God made Trump to solve America’s problems.
The ads have angered Democrats, who say the norm-busting Trump is violating four laws, and the ads have frustrated Republicans in close races who are trying to distance themselves from the president and his 35% approval rating.
Here’s a look at the three initial videos and the responses they’ve generated.
“The Country He Loves” heaps praise on Trump (“He’s the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met”) over the background song, “Love Me,” by the artist JMSN.
Video footage of Trump is serenaded by the words “love me, love me.” The artist sent a cease-and-desist letter to the White House for the unapproved use of his music.
Trump makes this promise: “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country” as a screen shows the words: “AMERICA WILL NEVER BE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY.”
Critics say the timing makes this a campaign ad for the eight GOP candidates who face Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated candidates in the midterms.
Trump dismissed any criticism as “highly dishonest,” saying, “Presidential public service announcements are nothing new.”
Screencap from one of the Trump ads
“Final Battle” is a stark black-and-white ad Trump used in his 2024 campaign. A side-by-side version shows the only difference between 2024’s campaign ad and 2026’s “public service announcement” is the final words.
In 2024, the Trump campaign paid to air this ad. Now, taxpayers pay. “Congratulations, You’re a Trump Campaign Donor,” said a headline at The Bulwark.
Grim rhetoric matches the stark look as Trump walks an empty hallway: “This is the final battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state and expel the warmongers from our government. We will drive out globalists. We will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”
The Daily Show questioned the ad’s curious opening scene: a “six-second close-up of a storage closet.” The ads are running on CNN and MS NOW, two networks Trump has feuded with and at times banned from White House coverage.
“Celebrating the Enduring Spirit,” in contrast with the others, is an upbeat, patriotic tribute to America’s first 250 years and its current president.
“In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one. We are the freest people on earth, and by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history,” the ad says.
Some Republicans have criticized using government funds for the ads, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. Democrats are trying to halt the misuse of funds intended for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including Border Patrol and customs and immigration at airports, reported the Wall Street Journal.
Last week, a GOP senator blocked a Democratic senator’s resolution declaring such ads “should not be paid for by the United States government.”
“Stealing taxpayer dollars to pay for Mr. Trump’s narcissistic ego trips is plainly illegal.”
Meanwhile, two Democratic House members — Jamie Raskin of Maryland and George Whitesides of California — have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the legality of the ads’ funding. “Stealing taxpayer dollars to pay for Mr. Trump’s narcissistic ego trips is plainly illegal,” says their letter to the GAO.
“They are very clearly not campaign ads,” responded the White House. “President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action. Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending.”
Yet in August, Trump told Fox News he wants voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”
He declared: “When Trump’s on the ballot, they win.”
Some Republicans in tight races wish Trump would quit reminding voters about Trump because his poll numbers are in negative territory due to the Iran war, the economy and other issues.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and John E. Sununu of New Hampshire are in tight election battles, and both say they will not appear at campaign events with the president. Candidates in three other senate races said they weren’t sure if they would campaign with him.
In Texas, Senate candidate Ken Paxton said Trump’s first-ever GOP Midterm Convention in September had an unintended result for those who participated: “Everybody’s numbers dropped.”
Asked about the ads’ funding by CBS News, Trump said, “If somebody says that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money, but these are ads for the country. I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself.”