Trump says super PAC will foot bill for pro-Trump TV ads, sparing taxpayers

Donald Trump announced that his political fundraising committee, MAGA Inc., will pay for a wave of television advertisements promoting him and his administration, stepping back from an earlier plan that had drawn fierce criticism for using taxpayer money to fund what opponents described as personal political promotion.

The reversal came after reports emerged that Trump had personally instructed his budget director to channel government funds toward the ad campaign ahead of the midterm elections. The move provoked immediate backlash, with critics arguing that public money should not be used to burnish a sitting president's image or advance his political standing.

By shifting the financial burden to his super PAC, Trump sought to defuse the controversy while ensuring the advertisements would still reach audiences across the country. The episode nonetheless raised questions about the boundaries between official government communications and partisan political activity, a distinction that watchdogs have long argued must be rigorously maintained.