A federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked the administration from using taxpayer funds to finance television advertisements featuring President Donald Trump, following a legal challenge alleging that the commercials amounted to political propaganda ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon in Manhattan issued the order after a lawsuit filed by the government watchdog organization Common Cause and other plaintiffs argued that public money was being improperly used to promote the president and benefit Republican candidates.
The advertisements, which began airing in late September, praised Trump’s leadership and ended with disclaimers identifying the U.S. government as their sponsor. Their broadcast sparked criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Legal Challenge Over Public Spending
The plaintiffs argued that the advertisements were political messaging rather than legitimate public service announcements and sought an emergency injunction to prevent their broadcast during high-profile weekend television programming, including football games and Saturday Night Live.
The administration had already indicated in a court filing Saturday that it planned to discontinue taxpayer funding for the commercials.
“We won’t stop until this administration is held fully accountable, and no president from any party can waste and abuse taxpayer funds for propaganda ever again,” Common Cause President and CEO Virginia Kase Solomón told Reuters.
Trump’s Political Committee to Cover Costs
Trump defended the advertisements, describing them as a “positive promotion for our great U.S.A.,” but confirmed that taxpayers would no longer finance them.
The White House announced that the president’s political action committee, MAGA PAC, would assume responsibility for funding future broadcasts.
However, officials said the committee would not reimburse taxpayers for advertisements that had already aired. The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the court’s ruling.
Democratic Party officials have also challenged the advertisements in a separate federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C.
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