Most Americans oppose Trump’s taxpayer-funded ‘golden age’ ads: Poll

Trump says he will pay for future advertisements, but the White House says taxpayers will not be reimbursed for past ones.

The Trump administration says its taxpayer-funded television advertisements are about patriotism, reminding people why they should love the United States and why it is worth defending. But an overwhelming majority of Americans say they should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggested that 86 percent of Americans, including four out of five Republicans, believe it is inappropriate to use public money for election-related television advertisements featuring US President Donald Trump or members of his cabinet.

The poll comes as Trump says he will stop using taxpayer money to fund the advertisements. On Monday, he said he would instead pay for them himself and with money raised by MAGA Inc, his political action committee.

What remains unclear is whether he will reimburse taxpayers for advertisements that have already aired. The White House said on Tuesday that the president would only pay for future advertisements, but Trump later appeared to leave the door open to reimbursing the government, telling reporters, “The ads were really good. They were promotion for the country, done by many presidents before. So, we’ll decide.”

The Trump administration faces mounting criticism about a number of government-funded advertisements that have been airing in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, celebrating what they describe as a “golden age of America”.

In one, a choir sings “love me” over a montage of Trump as he declares the US will “never be a communist country”. Another uses images of Mount Rushmore as Trump heralds a new “golden age of America”. The third is darker: Trump walks towards the camera in black and white, warning of a “final battle” against the “deep state” and other perceived enemies.

All three end with a disclaimer saying they were “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”

The advertisements have already cost taxpayers at least $1.4m, according to media tracking firm AdImpact, and have aired across network and cable television, including during high-viewership programmes, such as NFL games, as well as streaming services.

Democratic lawmakers have said the White House transferred $20m in Department of Homeland Security funds to pay for the campaign and have called for independent investigations.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticised the advertisements in a Senate floor speech, saying, “Americans sat down to watch football, not to be force-fed Trump’s propaganda on their own dime.”

But criticism has also come from within Trump’s own party.

“It shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters last month.

The White House has defended the advertisements as public service announcements, pointing to government-funded campaigns under previous administrations promoting Medicare, Affordable Care Act subsidies and COVID-19 vaccinations. It says the Trump advertisements are similarly intended to remind Americans to “love their country and understand what makes it worth defending”.

But critics say there is a key difference: those advertisements were tied to specific government programmes or policies, while Trump’s are not.

“There’s nothing in here about a particular policy that’s at all focused,” Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under George W Bush, told The Associated Press news agency.

Experts interviewed by The AP also pointed to potential legal issues, as the advertisements may violate federal restrictions on using congressionally appropriated funds for “publicity or propaganda,” as well as rules limiting partisan political activity by government employees.

“You watch all three ads; they’re sheer propaganda,” said Painter. “This is increasingly looking like what authoritarian governments do to promote their leaders.”