Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Cancel Taxpayer-Funded TV Ads Promoting Trump

Washington: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Sunday night to cancel any remaining television commercials paid for with taxpayer money that promote the president’s political message, even as the administration said the campaign was already ending.

US District Judge Jennifer Rochon in New York sided with a coalition including the nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause, which argued the spots were an illegal misuse of public funds. Her temporary restraining order lasts 14 days unless extended and directs the administration to cancel all scheduled ads, including those due to air that evening. It also bars the Department of Homeland Security from spending more of the $20 million set aside for the campaign and from signing or expanding any ad agreements. The judge rejected the Justice Department’s argument that the plaintiffs lacked standing, and found the case was not moot despite the administration’s plan to stop buying ads after Sunday.

The administration said in a court filing it had already spent $19 million on the ads, which began airing in late September and drew bipartisan criticism. At least 13 campaign-style ads were produced, some of them airing on networks including CBS, CNN, MS NOW and Fox News. One closely resembled a 2024 Trump campaign ad. The Democratic National Committee also sued.

Trump has called the ads positive promotion for the country but said they would no longer be funded by taxpayers. The White House said his political action committee, MAGA PAC, would pay for future ads but would not reimburse taxpayers for those already aired.

Common Cause’s president, Virginia Kase Solomon, said the group would keep pushing so that no president could use public funds for propaganda.