A 30-second White House ad praising Donald Trump is airing on national TV with a disclaimer saying the U.S. government paid for it; its reported $430,000 cost has drawn bipartisan criticism and a Public Citizen complaint alleging misuse of taxpayer funds.
Public Citizen filed complaints with the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel, alleging the ad violates restrictions on taxpayer-funded propaganda and the Hatch Act. The White House called it “educational and unapologetically patriotic.” The Associated Press reported actual spending could be significantly higher, depending on whether networks classified the ad as political advertising.
The ad features Trump pledging to defeat communism, socialism and Marxism, flashes text about tax cuts and manufacturing, and includes UFC's Dana White praising him. Musician JMSN said he did not authorize licensing his song “Love Me” for the spot.
