Trump steals taxpayer funds for vanity ads and propaganda
By Maya Ellison · Reporting from Detroit ·
Donald Trump spent millions in public funds on "educational" ads that are actually campaign propaganda, a theft of public resources that treats the treasury like a personal piggy bank.
Donald Trump is treating the U.S. Treasury like a personal campaign chest. By spending millions in public money on "Public Service Announcements" that are actually vanity projects, he is stealing from the American people to buy himself more fame. This is not a clerical error or a misunderstanding of the rules. It is a brazen conversion of public wealth into private political power.
The Treasury as a personal piggy bank
The numbers tell a story of greed. CBS News reports that AdImpact found a combined spend of almost $2.5 million for at least three distinct ads. One spot, titled "Final Battle," is a direct copy of a Truth Social video from January 2024. The only difference is the fine print. The campaign logo was swapped for the text "Paid for by the U.S. Government."
While the White House claims these ads are "educational", the reality is an insult to every worker struggling to survive.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung calls these "epic Public Service Announcements." He claims they remind Americans to love their country and are "unapologetically patriotic." This is a classic trick. The administration is using the Committee on Public InformationH as its blueprint. Like that agency under Woodrow Wilson, Trump uses the guise of national unity and patriotic duty to weaponize public funds for state-sponsored propaganda.
The mask of patriotism
This mechanism is not new, but it is dangerous. Senator Thom Tillis compared this move to Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán. Orbán used taxpayer dollars to communicate his political view. This is the same play: disguise propaganda as official state communication to crush the opposition. When the state pays for the ads, the line between the government and the party vanishes.
Stealing art and breaking law
The theft extends beyond the treasury. Indie artist JMSN, born Christian Berishaj, found his song "Love Me" used in these ads without his consent. He sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. He is now fighting back with the help of former ethics czar Norman Eisen.
The legal stakes are high. We saw this same disregard for the law during the Trump administration's use of the Hatch Act (2017-2021).
Donald Trump is wrong, and he owes the public every cent. This is the same pattern of lawlessness that poisons the water in Flint and leaves my generation with student loans we can't pay. The Trump administration will likely stonewall congressional oversight inquiries and refuse to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. They will treat the law as a suggestion until they are forced into court. Justice requires more than a cease-and-desist letter. It requires a full audit of the Treasury and the immediate repayment of these stolen millions.