Judge orders Donald Trump to scrap taxpayer-funded campaign ads
The Trump administration has been ordered by a US federal judge to immediately cease screening advertisements funded by taxpayers that portray Donald Trump in a positive light.
A coalition of the president’s political opponents accused the administration of misusing public funds with the multi-million dollar ad blitz on television.
A judge has ordered TV ads favouring US President Donald Trump to be pulled immediately. AP
District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in New York agreed and issued a temporary restraining order on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
In court documents filed on Saturday, the administration said it had moved to cease the screening of the adverts, funded by the Department of Home Security, beyond Sunday.
The Justice Department argued that the temporary restraining order was unnecessary because “the alleged offending conduct will end tomorrow.”
But Rochon ordered any ads scheduled to be aired on Sunday night to be taken down.
“Defendants shall not enter into, renew, or expand any agreement authorising the development, creation, dissemination, placement, or airing of the challenged advertisements” during the two-week duration of her order, the judge said.
The White House defended the adverts as public service broadcasts. AP
The Department of Homeland Security tapped $US20 million in taxpayer money for the ads. Legal experts have suggested that ran afoul of a federal statute against congressionally appropriated money being used for “publicity or propaganda” and potentially other federal laws.
The Homeland Security money drawn for the ads comes from a $US175 million package Congress gave to the department as part of Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements akin to what past administrations have done to promote various policies.
But the recent ads differ from many past public service announcements because they aren’t aimed at helping members of the public benefit from specific government programs. One of the ads is a near replica of a 2024 ad that Trump ran during his presidential reelection campaign
The White House did not immediately comment.
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