Aaron Rupar Says Taxpayer-Funded Political Advertisement Is 'Absolutely Demented' Like Horror Movie

Journalist Aaron Rupar compared a political advertisement President Donald Trump released on Sunday to a horror movie.

Shot in black and white inside the White House portrait gallery, the video ends with a notice reading 'Paid for by the US Government', drawing accusations on X that public money was being misused.

The Trump administration had released another advertisement described in the supplied account as taxpayer-funded a few days earlier. That advert also stirred controversy.

The account does not describe the earlier advert or give its calendar release date, so the content of the two videos cannot be compared. It does not say where the new video was aired, how much it cost or which government funds were used.

Aaron Rupar's Horror Movie Comparison

Trump walks through the portrait gallery and speaks to viewers. He says he and his supporters are preparing for the 'final battle', in which they will 'demolish the deep state' and 'expel the warmongers from our government'.

Trump's language is broad. The supplied account does not name a department or official targeted by the pledge, or describe what action the promised 'final battle' would involve.

Rupar's post was brief. 'Absolutely demented. Like a scene from a horror movie,' he wrote on X. His comparison addressed the video's presentation. It made no claim about the advert's legality.

The closing payment notice raises a different question. The words on screen do not, by themselves, establish which budget paid for the video's production or distribution. That distinction matters when assessing the objections that followed.

Political Advertisement Prompts Funding Claims

'They're just stealing your money to pay for this,' journalist Matthew Yglesias posted on X. His allegation concerns public spending.

Ron Filipkowski, identified as editor-in-chief of the MeidasTouch Network, also objected. '5 weeks before the midterms, American taxpayers are paying to air an ad from the 2024 Trump campaign. You are paying for this political ad,' he posted on X.

Those figures and dates are part of Filipkowski's statement. The account gives no calendar date for the Sunday release and no independent evidence that the new video was an advert from the 2024 Trump campaign. His description of its timing and origin remains his claim.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration lawyer, made an explicit legal accusation. 'Your taxpayer dollars are being illegally spent to air a literal Trump 2024 campaign ad,' he posted on X. No legal finding or document supporting that allegation was provided.

What the Taxpayer-Funded Label Leaves Open

The account describes both advertisements as taxpayer-funded and says the new one bears a government payment notice. It provides no invoices, agency statement or other records showing how the video was funded.

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the funding claims or whether any law was broken. The material also includes no response from Trump, the White House, or a government agency to the criticism. As described, the video ends with the words 'Paid for by the US Government'. The account includes no explanation of that notice.