‘Blatantly unethical’: Trump using taxpayer dollars to re-air ad he made ahead of 2024 election

An ad made by Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election promoting himself is now airing on US TV again, paid for by the taxpayer.

The apocalyptic ad airing on television is identical to one posted on his Truth Social account in January 2024, save for text at the bottom of the screen reading: "Paid for by the US government".

"This is the final battle," Trump is heard saying in the ad.

"With you by my side we will demolish the deep state, expel the warmongers from our government, we will drive out the globalists, we will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists.

"We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all."

AdImpact reports the Trump administration has spent $455,000 on taxpayer funds to air the latest ad, on top of the several million it has spent on other ads.

It was seen during two NFL broadcasts, an expensive slot to advertise in.

CNN reported that the president himself helped orchestrate the taxpayer-funded ads.

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Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin did not hold back in his criticism of Trump.

"The inept White House political propagandists are using our money on government-sponsored campaign TV ads for the sinking GOP," he wrote on X.

"The latest commercial tries to rally the dwindling MAGA base by reminding them that Trump once posed as a fighter against warmongers and a corrupt political establishment, but the recycled ad just sharply reminds everyone that the lying Trump is the war-maker-in-chief and presides over the most corrupt presidential administration in US history. 

"You can’t use our tax dollars to fool us."

Raskin said the use of taxpayer dollars for a political campaign as "blatantly unethical".

"This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes," he said.

Trump's latest move has drawn the sharp criticism of Republican politicians, including those previously very close to him.

“It’s wrong, it flat out is,” the president’s former chief-of-staff Mick Mulvaney said.

"Is there someone in the White House who thinks this is wrong? 

"Do they have the guts to walk in and tell the president? That’s the real question."

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Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer under the Bush administration, was even bolder.

"This is an abuse of power," Painter said.

"Government propaganda like this is common in countries like Iran and North Korea, but not here.

"In fact it's illegal."

Painter said it may be an impeachable offence.

And Republican senator John Kennedy was also critical.

"I think there ought to be a rule that you can’t – well, there probably is a rule – you can’t spend public money to promote yourself," the senator said.

When the first ads aired last week, the White House issued a statement defending them.

"The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads; President Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action," the statement read.

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"Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad. 

"That’s not partisanship — that’s a government that still believes in the country it serves."

Trump is not on the ballot in the midterm elections in November, but his Republican party is facing a wipeout.

With Trump's own approval rating at dire lows, many Republican candidates are distancing themselves from him.

Election Day is November 3.