Politics
Democrats and Common Cause File Lawsuits Over Trump’s Use of Taxpayer Money for Political Ads
Democrats and the watchdog group Common Cause have filed lawsuits alleging that President Trump misused taxpayer dollars to fund political advertising. The Democratic lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., claims that Trump directed the White House to reallocate $20 million from a $175 million Department of Homeland Security package—originally earmarked for border‑security commemorative activities, including memorials for fallen officers—into a campaign that critics say is purely political propaganda. Common Cause’s complaint, to be heard in the Southern District of New York, similarly argues that the ads are overtly political and violate congressional prohibitions on using public funds for propaganda. Both suits contend that the repurposing of the funds violates the constitutional separation of powers and the statutory ban on using taxpayer money for publicity or propaganda. The lawsuits seek to have the ads declared illegal, to halt further spending, and to recover money already expended.
The ads began airing in September and have cost more than $12 million to run, according to media‑tracking firm AdImpact. Three spots have appeared so far: one features a choir singing “love me” over a montage of Trump declaring the U.S. will “never be a communist country”; another shows Mount Rushmore with Trump heralding a new “golden age of America”; the third shows Trump in black and white warning of a “final battle” against the “deep state” and other enemies. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found that 86 percent of respondents, including four out of five Republicans, considered it inappropriate for Trump to use public money for the ads.
Trump has defended the campaign as “promotion for the country” and said it was similar to outreach efforts by prior administrations. After the backlash, he announced on Monday that taxpayer funds would no longer be used for future ads, but he did not pledge to repay the money already spent. Republican Party members have also spoken out against the campaign.