Trump will not reimburse taxpayers for political ads, says White House

President Donald Trump's administration utilized $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds to finance pro-Trump advertisements, according to US media reports. On Tuesday, the White House announced that Trump will not reimburse taxpayers for the already aired political ads, marking a reversal on the controversial television spots.

Initially, Trump had stated that he and his campaign would cover the expenses for the ads promoting himself ahead of the US midterm elections in November. The announcement came after widespread criticism from both political factions regarding the use of millions of dollars in government funds for pro-Trump ads.

Trump expressed his decision to fund the "Patriotic Ads" via his Truth Social platform, attributing the funding to his political action group, MAGA, Inc. However, the White House clarified that Trump's statement did not pertain to reimbursing the costs. Later, Trump seemed to imply that the issue remained unresolved, stating that the ads were beneficial for the country and had been utilized by previous administrations.

When questioned about reimbursing the ad costs, Trump indicated that a decision would be made at a later time.

The Trump administration's use of $20 million from Homeland Security Department funds for the advertisements, some of which featured President Trump warning of a "final battle" against black-and-white footage of him, drew mixed reactions from US media. One ad appeared to be nearly identical to a political advertisement for Trump during his 2024 presidential election campaign.

The White House defended the use of government funds, claiming the ads were public service announcements, but Democrats labeled them illegal and propaganda, while even some senior Republicans expressed reservations.