God Made Trump’ Taxpayer-Funded Midterms Ad Sparks Outrage
WASHINGTON-- The Trump administration has produced at least 13 campaign-style advertisements as part of a multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded effort to promote President Donald Trump and his policies, drawing bipartisan criticism over the use of public money.
The ads include spots titled “God Made Trump,” “King of the Jungle” and “Resilience,” along with videos focused on the military, Iran, Venezuela and a UFC event Trump hosted at the White House. Administration officials have characterized the videos as public service announcements.
CNN obtained clips of 12 ads, ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes. Two have already aired. The videos were stored in a Dropbox account operated by LMD, the firm handling the government’s ad purchases. Each ends with a notice saying it was “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
Another spot, “Final Battle,” has also aired but was not included in the files obtained by CNN.
The ads that have aired have appeared on CBS, CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Fox. It is unclear whether all of the remaining spots will run on television, digital platforms or both.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Many of the advertisements feature Trump prominently and pair his image with favorable commentary from news reports. Others use patriotic imagery, including military graduations, aircraft flyovers and fireworks over Mount Rushmore.
First lady Melania Trump also appears in several videos. Other footage includes Trump announcing reciprocal tariffs, the border wall, his 2015 campaign launch and a display featuring an autopen signature attributed to former President Joe Biden.
Trump has played a role in selecting imagery and footage for the videos, according to a person familiar with the effort who spoke to CNN. Two Trump advisers said the White House communications team has produced the spots, although at least one was created by a pro-Trump meme group.
The campaign has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said on X that the ads could constitute unlawful use of government property for political purposes.
“If you want to use your super PAC or campaign account to deliver that message, that's fine,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. “It's not an appropriate PSA. It's not how we should be spending taxpayer dollars.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has also criticized the spending, saying the ads are “not even a close question” when it comes to whether they are an appropriate use of taxpayer money.
One advertisement promoting the UFC event features UFC CEO Dana White, fighters, the Octagon and the championship belt. Another, titled “Maduro,” combines footage of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro with images of Trump and his administration following Maduro’s capture.
“Military Hype” features fighter jets, apparent missile launches and excerpts from Trump's February speech announcing military action against Iran.
Other ads are explicitly political. “King of the Jungle” features Trump alongside footage of Democratic figures including former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“God Made Trump,” a three-minute advertisement aired during the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, portrays Trump in highly favorable terms and draws on the structure of Paul Harvey's “God Made a Farmer.” NPR reported that the spot was produced by the Dilley Meme Team.
“Resilience” chronicles Trump’s career, including his early years in New York real estate, his 2015 presidential campaign launch and his presidency. It also features his 2023 Georgia mugshot and footage of the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
At least $2.5 million in taxpayer money has been spent on the advertisements, according to AdImpact, which tracks political advertising. The total cost is believed to be higher because public service announcements face different disclosure requirements than campaign ads.
Congress has allocated $20 million for the effort. Two people familiar with the matter told CNN the money is coming from Customs and Border Protection.
Government watchdog groups have questioned whether the campaign violates federal restrictions on using appropriated funds for propaganda or partisan communications. Whether outside groups could successfully challenge the spending in court remains unclear.
Despite criticism from both parties, Congress has not moved to stop the advertising campaign.