The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump over television advertisements that were publicly funded and allegedly used to promote his political policies.
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that → file → policies
Ken Martin, who heads the Democratic Party’s leadership body, suggested in a statement on Wednesday that the ads were designed to bolster Republican odds in the upcoming November 3 midterm elections.
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ads → head → elections
FCC head says controversial Trump ads do not raise concerns
- list 2 of 3‘We’ll decide’:
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ads → say → concerns
Trump hints he may pay for US government-funded ads
- list 3 of
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he → hint → ads
3Most Americans oppose Trump’s taxpayer-funded ‘golden age’ ads: Poll
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Americans → oppose → ads
“Donald Trump is misusing millions of taxpayer dollars to fund pure propaganda ads in a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November,” Martin said.
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Martin → misuse → November
Later that day, Common Cause, a democracy watchdog group, filed a second lawsuit over the same set of ads.
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Cause → file → ads
It argued that the ads were “overtly political” and therefore ran afoul of laws that bar public funds from being used for political propaganda.
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that → argue → propaganda
“These ads are not public-service announcements,” Common Cause said in its lawsuit, citing a justification Trump has offered for the television spots.
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Trump → say → spots
Both lawsuits argue that, to create the ad campaign, Trump directed the White House to repurpose $20m in funds that Congress allocated for commemorative activities related to border security, including for those killed in the line of duty.
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Congress → argue → duty
That manoeuvre, they argue, violates the separation of powers established in the US Constitution.
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they → argue → Constitution
“The founders made clear more than 200 years ago that the executive can spend money only according to Congress’s direction,” Common Cause’s lawsuit said.
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lawsuit → make → direction
The two lawsuits also point to a provision Congress includes in its appropriations bills barring the use of taxpayer funds for “publicity or propaganda purposes”.
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Congress → point → purposes
Both complaints seek to have the ads declared illegal, and the expenditures stopped.
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expenditures → seek → ?
They also call for steps to be taken to recover any money already spent on the ads.
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steps → call → ads
The Democrats’ lawsuit was filed in Washington, DC, while the Common Cause complaint will be heard in the Southern District of New York.
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complaint → file → York
Trump has faced mounting criticism over the ads, which began airing in September.
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which → face → September
So far, the advertising campaign has cost more than $12m to run, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.
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campaign → cost → firm
The $20m Trump tapped for the ads comes from a $175m package Congress assigned to the Department of Homeland Security as part of Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
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Congress → tap → agenda
Critics have pointed out that one of the ads appears nearly identical to a television spot Trump used in his 2024 re-election campaign.
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Trump → point → campaign
Three ads have aired so far.
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ads → air → ?
In one, a choir sings “love me” over a montage of Trump as he declares the US will “never be a communist country”.
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US → sing → Trump
Another uses images of Mount Rushmore as Trump heralds a new “golden age of America”.
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Trump → use → America
The third is darker: Trump walks towards the camera in black and white, warning of a “final battle” against the “deep state” and other perceived enemies.
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Trump → walk → state
On Wednesday, the news agency Reuters and the research firm Ipsos released a poll showing the ads are highly unpopular.
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ads → release → poll
Some 86 percent of the Americans surveyed, including four out of five Republicans, said it was inappropriate for Trump to have used public money for them.
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Trump → survey → them
Trump has defended the ads as “promotion for the country”, and he has argued they were similar to public outreach campaigns put out by previous administrations.
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they → defend → administrations
But after a bipartisan backlash, Trump said on Monday that taxpayer funds would no longer be used for future ads.
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funds → say → ads
He did not, however, commit to paying back the money already spent on the existing ads.
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He → commit → ads
Members of Trump’s Republican Party have been among those speaking out against the ad campaign.
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Members → speak → campaign
Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said the advertisements resembled something former Hungarian leader Viktor Orban would put out.
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Orban → say → something
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, indicated he agreed with the message in one of the advertisements, but he emphasised that “it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars”.
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it → indicate → dollars
The Aporia
