Trump's PAC won't pay taxpayers back for his ads

President Trump's super PAC will not reimburse the government for taxpayer money spent on campaign-style ads promoting the administration. Why it matters: Taxpayers have footed a multimillion-dollar bill for the advertisements, which some critics of the president have called "government propaganda." What they're saying: "The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money," Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening. "This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc," he wrote, referring to a super PAC affiliated with the president. Worth noting: Federal law generally bars federal officeholders from directing spending decisions for super PACs. Zoom in: When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson told Axios that Trump's announcement "was not referring to reimbursement." Catch up quick: The White House previously defended the ads as "public service announcements" that are "clearly not political." The White House says the ads are instead meant to be patriotic, noting that Trump isn't on the ballot this year. Nonetheless, one such ad repurposes a nearly identical ad from Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, cutting it shorter and adding "Paid for by the U.S. government." Zoom out: The ads, which have run on cable and network television, including during NFL games, have cost at least $11 million since September, according to an AdImpact analysis conducted by the AP. The spots were paid for through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract. Go deeper: Scoop: Trump's hand-picked, taxpayer-funded ads about to ramp up

Read it at Axios ↗

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