Trump does not plan to reimburse taxpayers for ads already aired, New York Times reports

The New York Times reported on 6 October that President Trump does not plan to reimburse taxpayers for government promotional ads that have already aired. Officials said he meant the super PAC would pay moving forward, the Times reported. Asked whether he would repay the government for the cost of ads already shown, Trump told reporters, "The ads were really good." He said, "They were promotion for the country, done by many presidents before," and added, "So we'll decide," according to CNBC.

Trump said on Monday that he and his political action committee would pay for the ads, CNBC reported. The White House later clarified on Monday that the super PAC, MAGA Inc., will pay for what it calls public service announcements going forward, and not for ads that have already aired, according to CNBC. CNBC reported the ads cost the federal government nearly $10 million before Monday's announcement, and that they drew criticism that they are propaganda and aimed at helping Republican political candidates. AdImpact has tracked roughly $9.7 million spent to air three ads featuring Trump, paid for with taxpayer funds, through 5 October, CNBC reported.

A new taxpayer-funded ad aired on Tuesday, CNBC reported. The ad was labeled as paid for by the U.S. government and features video clips of Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussing the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, according to CNBC. The White House and MAGA Inc. did not immediately reply when asked whether the super PAC would cover the cost of the new ad or whether the buy had been placed before Trump's announcement, CNBC reported.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said, "The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money," according to CNBC. He also said, "This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc."

The New York Times reported, three days before Trump's announcement and citing people familiar with the matter, that Trump "personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency," CNBC reported. The Times said federal money for the ads became available on 19 September, when the Office of Management and Budget shifted $20 million in Customs and Border Protection funds to a budget category called "One Big Beautiful Bill Commemorative Events." Customs and Border Protection is a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Hassan, identified in the CNBC report only by her last name, said in a statement on Monday night, "These campaign ads never should have run on the taxpayer's dime to begin with." She said, "They were clearly wrong and clearly illegal, which is why the President should also immediately repay the taxpayers for the amount already spent on these ads." The New York Times reported the ads had drawn bipartisan backlash.