Democratic Party sues Trump administration over $12M taxpayer-funded ads alleged as propaganda

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, alleging that recent television advertisements promoting the president's political agenda were funded by taxpayers and therefore violated U.S. propaganda law.

The Lawsuit

The 31-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses Donald Trump of personally directing the advertisements. The DNC has asked the court to intervene, seeking to halt the ads and stop the flow of public funds that have supported their creation and distribution.

Key Facts

• More than $12 million in government funds have been spent on pro-Trump ads since September, according to ad-tracking service AdImpact.
• The Department of Homeland Security had previously set aside $20 million for the expenditure, the Associated Press reported.
• The administration created four advertisements glorifying Trump, framing him as a centerpiece of American resistance.

The Ads

One 30-second commercial, set to JMSN's track "Love Me," portrayed Trump as the bastion of American strength and resistance against foreign foes. The refrain "love me" played repeatedly while images of Trump flashed across the screen, with text reiterating his claim that "America will never be a communist country."

UFC President Dana White is heard saying: "He is the toughest, most resilient person that I've ever met and nothing is going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country that he's lost."

All four ads carried an unusual disclaimer: "Paid for by the U.S. government." One appeared to use footage from a 2024 Trump presidential campaign spot.

Trump's Response

On Monday, Trump addressed the backlash in a Truth Social post, stating he would no longer use taxpayer money on the ads:

"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. 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."

He did not mention whether he would reimburse the American people.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump insisted that "the ads were really good" and a "promotion for the country" rather than a promotion of himself.

Vice President's Defense

Vice President JD Vance also defended the commercials, claiming on Monday that the messaging was "not partisan."

"We're trying to tell a story about how great the United States of America is," Vance said.

DNC's Argument

The DNC disagreed, arguing in their complaint that the "political propaganda ads" were an attempt to revive Trump's "historically low approval ratings and avoid widespread Republican defeats in the 2026 midterm election."

According to the group, the ads followed a broader pattern of Trump attempting to center himself in the midterm cycle, effectively turning Election Day 2026 into another referendum on his popularity. Recent efforts include:

• Promising Americans a $5,000 handout if Republicans win
• Making himself the center of an unprecedented two-day Republican midterm convention
• Repeatedly instructing voters to act as if he's on the ballot

However, these efforts have reportedly hurt Republican odds, as resentment grows against Trump over the ongoing Iran war and rising cost of living.

This story has been updated.

Read more about the ads: Trump Is Still Airing Campaign Ads With Your Money by the Way

Florida Election Officials Grant Trump Voter Privacy Protections He Doesn't Qualify For

Election officials in Florida have extended the state's new voter registration protections to Donald Trump—even though he does not qualify for them.

The Palm Beach County Office of the Supervisor of Elections confirmed to the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday that it had removed Trump's personal information from public-facing voter registration records. This includes data relating to:

• Home and mailing addresses
• Birth date
• Party affiliation
• Email address

The change will make it more difficult to ascertain when Trump votes by mail versus in person.

The Request

Trump asked the agency to remove his information earlier this year. The office told the Tampa Bay Times that it did not review whether the request was legitimate. It was not.

A public records law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2025 allows certain public officials to remove their personal information from the public-facing state system. Eligible officials include:

• Members of Congress
• Governor, lieutenant governor, chief financial officer, attorney general, agriculture commissioner
• State representative, state senator
• Property appraiser, supervisor of elections, school superintendent, school board member
• Mayor, city commissioner, county commissioner

Notably, the list does not include the president.

Local lawmakers cannot help Trump make his request legitimate even if they wanted to: State representatives will not meet again until March, preventing the introduction of an amendment that could retroactively include him.

The Notarized Document

Trump's request came via a notarized document in which he claimed eligibility as a state public officer. The form was notarized by Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old White House aide whom Trump promoted last year to deputy director of Oval Office operations and subsequently appointed to a four-year term on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, overseeing Kennedy Center construction (or demolition) projects. Harris was also one of three women in the Trump administration to receive a $45,000 bonus from the president as a "cash gift for the holidays" last year.

Read more about Trump: Trump Wakes Up From Oval Office Nap to Discuss Putin's Birthday

Trump Claims He Can "Do Whatever He Wants" to Political Enemies

President Trump claimed that he can do whatever he wants to his political enemies.

"I could've done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could've done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could've done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama," Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, after being asked whether he believes Democrats will try to impeach him if they win back the House and Senate.

"I thought it was inappropriate to do so because you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect. Then I found out that they impeached me. Twice. And … I can do whatever I want, if I want. They've done some very bad things."

Democracy Docket wrote on X: "He's telling you exactly how he sees his power. Now apply that to an election he's desperate to control."

This is the latest in a long list of vindictive threats Trump has made toward his political enemies, from former FBI Director James Comey to Senator Adam Schiff. He accused Obama of treason this past May. This recent admission is his most brazen to date, particularly given that it comes before an extremely consequential midterm election that will also usher in his lame duck period.

More on this presser: Trump Wakes Up From Oval Office Nap to Discuss Putin's Birthday

Trump Struggles to Stay Awake During Oval Office Meeting

President Trump had trouble staying awake on Wednesday while surrounded by members of his administration and the press in the Oval Office.

While his "Trump Accounts" for American children received praise from venture capitalist Brad Gerstner, the president struggled to keep his head from drooping, waking up when he was told "thank you."

Trump later perked up when a reporter asked if he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a plague outbreak in Siberia. The president happily pointed out that Wednesday is Putin's birthday.

"I have a call set up. Today is his birthday. Today is Vladimir Putin's birthday, I'm sure you're gonna celebrate it. Are you gonna celebrate his birthday? No, I have a call set up," Trump smirked, his voice sounding hoarse.

The octogenarian Trump has fallen asleep in public dozens of times during his second term. Only last week, he fell asleep after announcing a new steel plant in Iowa, and his moments of senility keep adding up. Despite all of that, he remembered Putin's birthday and thought it important to mention. Whether Trump's planned phone call is really about the plague or a birthday greeting to the Russian dictator remains unclear, given Trump's mental and physical condition and his past deference to Russia.

Editor's Pick: Trump, 80, Claims Iran War Ended Eight Months Before He Started It

Rubio Delivers Hypernationalistic Speech at the Acropolis

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a hypernationalistic speech at the Acropolis in Athens on Wednesday, in which he lauded the supposed superiority of Western civilization while stoking fears about immigration.

"The heroes of the West are those who choose to remain faithful to their duty precisely when it is most difficult and painful to do so," Rubio said. "We take the West's conception of these things—heroism, honor, duty—we take these things for granted. We assume that these somehow are universal to all people in all times and in all places. They are not. They are the product of a distinct character, a distinct character which arose here—and shaped the whole story of the civilization that came after it. The civilization that we must fight to defend today with the same passion as our forefathers did."

"Over time, we in the West came to feel ashamed of the very things that made us exceptional. We felt embarrassed that our achievements set us apart from the rest of the world," Rubio continued.

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