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The White House put $20M of taxpayer money into TV ads praising Trump. A judge stopped them.
— The White House put $20M of taxpayer money into TV ads praising Trump. A judge stopped them.
The White House budget office moved $20 million of border money into a TV campaign about Trump 6 weeks before the midterms. A federal judge in New York ordered the ads off the air on October 11, 2026.
What happened
On September 19, 2026, the White House Office of Management and Budget added $20 million to a Customs and Border Protection line for “commemorating efforts and events related to border security.” Congress funded that line in the 2025 reconciliation law, and it had held $1 million. The next day CBP ordered a $20 million “National Media Campaign” from LMD Agency, a Maryland ad firm, under an existing purchase agreement.
From September 23, TV ads praising Trump ran on network, cable and streaming channels, each ending “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” On October 7, Common Cause, with Democracy Forward on its legal team, sued the Department of Homeland Security in the Southern District of New York. The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed separate suits.
On October 11, Judge Jennifer Rochon barred any further use of the $20 million for the ads for 14 days. She ordered DHS to cancel every remaining placement, including that evening’s, and stayed the LMD contract. DHS told the court it had spent about $19 million.
Who benefited
Trump got nearly 3 weeks of national TV ads about himself, paid for by the government, in the run-up to the November 3 midterms. The AP reported that the ads echoed Republican midterm slogans. One reused a 2024 Trump campaign video, the Washington Sun reported. The White House called them public service announcements and said they were “nothing new.”
Who wanted something
The White House wanted the ads on the air and paid for them from a border account, not through a regular spending bill. Sen. Susan Collins said the regular bill would have prohibited the ads, which is why the administration used the reconciliation-law account. After the suits, Trump said his super PAC, MAGA Inc., would pay for future ads.
Who lost out
Taxpayers paid about $19 million for TV ads praising the president. The money came out of the $175 billion Congress gave Homeland Security in the 2025 reconciliation law for immigration enforcement. The White House said Trump would pay only for ads going forward and would not reimburse what had been spent. That was your money.
Why it matters
Federal law bars spending appropriated money on “publicity or propaganda,” and Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Thune both criticized the ads. Rochon’s order is temporary and is not a ruling on the merits. DHS said it would make no new media buys. Common Cause told the court that the LMD contract runs until September 2027.
Sources U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y. (via CourtListener) (primary)The Washington SunAPThe Washington Sun