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CBS continues hard right push and airs newest ‘campaign’ ad touting Trump

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Lubin, R. (2026, September 25). CBS continues hard right push and airs newest ‘campaign’ ad touting Trump. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cbs-ad-love-me-bari-weiss-b3056418.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-25 · by Rhian Lubin

Quick Summary

CBS aired a government-funded advertisement glorifying President Donald Trump on Thursday night, continuing what some view as a rightward shift by the network. The ad highlights military actions against former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. This comes after CBS’s decision to air a similar pro-Trump commercial earlier in the week that used unauthorized music, sparking accusations of propaganda. Critics argue the ads are political despite claims from the White House that they serve an educational purpose.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In mid-October 2018, the Trump administration began airing a series of ads on major networks like Fox News and CBS that praised President Trump's achievements. These ads were funded by taxpayer money and included phrases such as "Paid for by the U.S. Government." The first ad aired on Fox News, denouncing communism while highlighting domestic manufacturing, tax cuts, and law enforcement support.

The ad featured images of Trump at various events with patriotic music in the background and text stating, “America will never be a communist country.” It drew criticism from Democrats like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who accused it of violating federal rules against using government funds for political campaigns. Raskin said such use could constitute "felony criminal theft" and violate the Hatch Act.

By October 19, AdImpact reported that spending on these ads had increased from $14,000 to $430,000 over three days, running in markets across the country. The White House defended the ad as a "public service announcement," arguing it was educational and patriotic rather than political.

Critics argue that with midterm elections approaching, these ads blur the line between government messaging and campaign propaganda, raising concerns about ethical violations and misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Written for “Taxpayer Funded Pro-Trump Ads” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 43 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Taxpayer Funded Pro-Trump Ads
Politics · 44 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (US)
Hedges 3 of 24 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different ads airing on different networks at different times.”
CBS News
Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
Mother Jones
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 2 of 15 claims Outlet record 96/100
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of a larger advertising campaign, with Article A focusing on the airing of a specific ad on CBS while Article B discusses criticism from a Republican senator regarding the overall taxpayer-funded campaign.”
TIME
Hedges 3 of 36 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different commercials aired at distinct times and with different content.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the situation; one focuses on the airing of Trump's new ad, while the other discusses lawmakers' reaction to taxpayer money being used for these ads.”
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 2 of 72 claims
“The articles describe different parts of an ongoing campaign by the Trump administration to promote itself using federal funds, but they do not describe the exact same ad airing at the same time.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss a pro-Trump ad paid for by the U.S. government, they describe different aspects and times of airing the ad.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
44
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3430 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Rhian Lubin
36 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has joined MAGA figures in peddling Elon Musk’s conspiracy theories ahead of the midterms, including an alleged plot to change the Supreme Court that would render America a “permanent one-party state.”
🔮 The election forecaster revealed his new figures on The Argument YouTube show.
🔮 President Donald Trump has done a U-turn and will now reportedly rally in Kansas and Iowa this weekend after Republican officials previously pulled the plug on the in-person events.
🔮 President Donald Trump has reversed course and will now hold midterm rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend after he was called out by a reporter for canceling them, according to reports.
🔮 Trump has also reportedly asked White House Counsel Will Scharf to investigate Habba’s involvement in another alleged pay-for-influence scandal.
🔮 Staffers are reportedly on edge as unfavorable polls and negative stories set Trump “into a dark mood,” as the administration grapples with fears that Republicans could lose control of the House and Senate next week.
🔮 “There was an imperative to move our coverage in the direction of the president to put a thumb on the scale, if you will, in terms of the president's viewpoint,” he said.
🔮 “It is an ad from our campaign, and the thing that I want to say is that I would love for this race and this election to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans, and unfortunately, Amy Acton has been hiding from those issues
🔮 “I always knew you would become the super successful person you are today,” Hendel wrote.
🔮 “I always knew you would become the super successful person you are today,” Hendel wrote.
Also by Rhian Lubin
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 36 articles by Rhian Lubin →

Topics

CBS CBS News CNN U.S. the White House

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 4× Democrats NORP · 3× Americans NORP · 2× CBS ORG · 2× CBS News ORG · 2× CNN ORG · 2× U.S. GPE · 2× White House ORG · 2× the White House ORG · 2× Independent NORP · 1×

Narrative

The White House denied the ad was political when reached for comment Thursday by The Independent. “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the spokesperson said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 “A similar ad will air on this network tonight.”
2026-09-25 · The Independent
CBS continues hard right push and airs newest ‘campaign’ ad touting Trump · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

A second commercial glorifying President Donald Trump, paid for by the U.S. government, aired on CBS stations Thursday night as the network continues its push to the right. asserted
network → glorify → right
The latest version of the ad featured the military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and follows the anti-communist commercial that aired on Fox News earlier this week. asserted
that → feature → News
The commercials have sparked alarm and accusations of “propaganda” and others referring to it as a “campaign” ad. asserted
commercials → spark → ad
CBS News’ White House correspondent Weijia Jiang told viewers that the network planned to broadcast the second ad. asserted
network → tell → ad
“It’s the words, ‘Paid for by the U.S. government,’ that is drawing fire,” she said. asserted
she → ’ → fire
“A similar ad will air on this network tonight.” asserted
ad → air → network
While CBS aired the second ad Thursday night, the network’s boss David Ellison, CEO of its parent company Paramount Skydance, was at the White House ahead of a state dinner with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. asserted
boss → air → Trump
Reporters for CNN were shut out of the event by the White House amid the ongoing feud over access, while Ellison – on the verge of acquiring CNN’s parent company Warner Bros Discovery – attended the soiree with his wife. asserted
Ellison → shut → wife
The intense 30-second ad that aired on Fox, titled “America Will Never Be a Communist Country,” raised eyebrows over its content and use of the song Love Me by the artist JMSN, who has publicly denounced the administration for using the track without permission. asserted
who → air → permission
It comes amid Trump’s media ban and accusations that the president has launched his own “state-run media” operation in response. asserted
president → come → response
Multiple versions of the ads were produced by the Trump administration, which paid for the airtime through an external ad agency, according to CBS News. uncertain
which → produce → News
The White House denied the ad was political when reached for comment Thursday by The Independent. “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the spokesperson said. asserted
spokesperson → deny → borders
The network’s decision to air the ad follows scrutiny of its lurch to the right since Paramount merged with Skydance and took over the company last year. asserted
Paramount → air → company
Under the leadership of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, CBS News has seen the departure of several producers and reporters, some of whom have accused the editor-in-chief of undermining the network’s journalistic integrity. asserted
some → see → integrity
Since taking over last year, Weiss has been accused of interfering in her staff’s reporting to push for a more conservative political agenda. asserted
Weiss → take → agenda
Democrats reacted to the Trump ads with fury, with Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire writing to Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles for information about the use of taxpayer dollars. asserted
Hassan → react → dollars
“The advertisement does not have a clear official government purpose and appears to run afoul of federal prohibitions against the use of appropriated funds as part of 'a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party or candidates,’” Hassan wrote in the letter. asserted
Hassan → have → letter
Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees also wrote to Wiles, accusing the administration of producing “the sort of propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America.” “It is an egregious and illegal misuse of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars,” the Democrats added. uncertain
Democrats → write → dollars
In response, a White House official said that the president “is not on the ballot and the ads don't have a call to action.” asserted
ads → say → action
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