Donald Trump looted border security funds for political propaganda

By Maya Ellison · Reporting from Detroit · October 1, 2026

By diverting $20 million meant for border security and officer memorials into campaign-style ads, Donald Trump is treating the treasury like a private slush fund.

Donald Trump is looting the American treasury to buy himself a better image. This is not "patriotism." It is a brazen theft of public money to fund a personal ego trip five weeks before the midterms. He diverts funds meant for border security and officer memorials to air campaign-style ads. This does not serve the country. He is treating the U.S. government like a private slush fund. This use of taxpayer dollars is illegal. We must hold the enablers accountable.

Stealing from the fallen to fund a brand

The money for these ads did not appear out of thin air. Federal spending records reported by The Washington Post show the administration used funds approved for border security upgrades. They also tapped money meant to combat drug trafficking. Most shameful of all, they used funds intended for memorials for officers killed in the line of duty.

This is how power works when there are no rules. The administration redirected $20 million from the Department of Homeland Security to bankroll these spots, according to Politico. This money was intended for Customs and Border Protection. NBC News reports that senior leaders at CBP were cut out of the decision entirely. They only learned about the ad buy from a news report.

I grew up in Flint, Michigan. I know what happens when the people in charge decide that some budgets are just suggestions. I watched my city's water get poisoned because someone decided doing things right cost too much. When the government steals from safety mandates, the cost always lands on the most vulnerable. Here, the cost is a hollowed-out security budget and a slap in the face to families of fallen officers.

The lie of the patriotic public service

The White House is trying to dress this theft up as a civic lesson. A spokesperson called the ads "public service announcements" designed to remind Americans to love their country. They claim the spots are "educational and unapologetically patriotic." This is the same kind of language used to mask every power grab in this administration.

Let us look at the actual content. The Guardian reports that one ad features a singer repeating "love me." It also shows UFC president Dana White praising the president. Another pairs footage of Trump with audio from a rally criticizing the "deep state." These are not educational films. They are campaign commercials.

Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. George Whitesides noted the ads are virtually identical to those Trump used in 2024. They use the same footage and the same "inept ideological messaging." The ads even claim Trump revived manufacturing. However, a February report from Congress’s joint economic committee states the US lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

The administration argues the president is not currently running for office, so the ads are not "campaigning." Donald Trump himself told Asharq Al-Awsat that he is not promoting a candidate. But this is a legal shell game. Whether he is on the ballot or not, he uses state resources to maintain a political brand. He uses them to influence an election. Using public money to make the public "love" a politician is the very definition of propaganda.

A historical blueprint for corruption

This is not an isolated incident. It is a pattern of treating the federal government as a personal tool. This behavior shares the same mechanism as the Watergate scandal. In both cases, the administration used government resources to illegally benefit a political campaign and maintain power. Watergate showed us that when a president views the state as his personal agency, the law becomes a nuisance. This is the same spirit as the First Impeachment of Donald Trump. There, official channels were used for personal political gain.

Sen. Patty Murray is right to say that Congress cannot sit on its hands. Her bill to dock the budget office by $20 million for every violation is a start. But a budget cut is a bureaucratic slap on the wrist.

The administration has treated the public treasury like a casino. They bet with money meant for the safety of our borders and the memory of our dead. Justice requires more than a budget adjustment. It requires the full return of every cent stolen from those security and memorial funds. It requires federal watchdogs to name every staffer who helped produce these ads in violation of the Hatch Act. We must stop pretending that "patriotism" is a valid excuse for theft.

Donald Trump looted border security funds for political propaganda

Stealing from the fallen to fund a brand

The lie of the patriotic public service

A historical blueprint for corruption

Sources