Trump Taps $400M MAGA Inc. War Chest To Fund 'Patriotic' Ads After $20M Taxpayer Money Backlash

President Donald Trump says his MAGA Inc. super PAC will begin paying for controversial pro-Trump television advertisements after his administration faced bipartisan criticism over the use of taxpayer money to fund the spots ahead of November's midterm elections.

The reversal shifts the financial burden from the federal government to a political operation sitting on more than $400 million (£302 million), after lawmakers and ethics experts questioned whether government-funded advertisements prominently featuring Trump crossed the line from public information into political promotion.

Trump Says MAGA Inc. Will Pay for 'Patriotic' Ads

Trump announced the change on Truth Social on Monday, defending the advertisements as a 'positive promotion' for the United States while acknowledging the uproar surrounding their funding.

'The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money,' Trump wrote.

He said he had instead decided to pay for the 'Patriotic Ads' himself and 'with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.'

A White House official subsequently told Reuters that MAGA Inc. would fund the advertisements going forward.

The television spots began appearing nationally in late September and carried the disclaimer 'Paid for by the U.S. Government.' One features Trump declaring that America will 'never be a communist country,' while another promotes what he describes as a 'golden age of America.'

$20M Government Funding Fuels Taxpayer Backlash

At the centre of the controversy is $20 million (£15.1 million) in Department of Homeland Security funding transferred for the advertising campaign.

Federal spending records showed that the Department of Homeland Security awarded LMD Agency, Inc. a $20 million contract for a 'national media campaign' on 20 September.

Democratic lawmakers said the funding came from money provided to US Customs and Border Protection, prompting questions over whether taxpayer dollars intended for government purposes were being used to promote Trump politically.

One of the advertisements also closely resembles material produced by Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, according to reports.

The White House has rejected allegations that the advertisements constitute political propaganda, describing them instead as public service announcements.

Officials have stressed that Trump is not on the ballot in November and that the advertisements contain no explicit call for viewers to vote.

Democrats Demand Probes, Republicans Join Criticism

The campaign nevertheless triggered criticism from both sides of the political aisle.

Democratic lawmakers have sought independent investigations into whether the spending violates longstanding restrictions on using federal funds for propaganda or political activity.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also called for investigations on Monday, alleging that the spending constituted a misuse of public funds.

Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana separately criticised the use of taxpayer money for the advertisements, saying public officials should not spend government money on private advertisements for themselves.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has taken a different position. Carr said the advertisements did not raise concerns warranting an FCC investigation and described them as normal public service announcements.

MAGA Inc. Has More Than $400M Ahead of Midterms

The shift comes as MAGA Inc. holds hundreds of millions of dollars in cash ahead of the November midterms.

MAGA Inc. had approximately $415.8 million (£315 million) in cash on hand as of 31 August, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

That war chest is already being deployed in the midterm battle, with Trump-aligned political groups spending heavily as Republicans fight to retain their narrow congressional majorities.

The funding change means taxpayers will no longer pay for the advertisements going forward. However, it remains unclear whether MAGA Inc. will reimburse the government for money already spent on the campaign.