Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads After Bipartisan Backlash

On October 5, 2026, Trump said he would stop directing federal agencies to pay for television ads promoting his presidency and would instead have his super PAC, MAGA Inc., cover the cost going forward. "I've decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.," he wrote. Three ads touting tax cuts, manufacturing and law-and-order themes began airing in late September using at least $1.4 to $1.5 million in Department of Homeland Security funds; MAGA Inc. had raised more than $400 million by the end of July.

Legal experts had said the spots potentially violated federal statutes barring the use of appropriated funds for "publicity or propaganda," and the spending drew bipartisan criticism as well as ethics complaints from watchdog groups. The White House had initially defended the taxpayer-funded ads as ordinary government communication before reversing course.

Trump did not say whether taxpayers would be reimbursed for the ads that had already aired, and the White House did not detail which future ads the super PAC would cover.