Trump’s taxpayer-funded propaganda is blatantly illegal

Over the last few weeks, President Trump has crossed yet another Rubicon. No doubt encouraged by the Supreme Court’s very bad decision exempting him from ever being criminally charged for his conduct as president, he has started simply ignoring the law, especially when his ego is at stake. It started with his decision to kick CNN, MSNOW and Politico off the White House grounds. Trump explained he banned them because, “They purposely write negative news. And they do that because they want try and to diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” He later added, “It’s sick. There’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories.” If you are not a lawyer, it might be hard to process just how shocking this behavior is. But take it from me, it’s really bad. Even if you are not a lawyer, you can appreciate that the U. S. government should not punish people — not even the tiniest bit — for saying unflattering things about the president, much less about the president’s political party. Although Trump’s shamelessness is new, his efforts to punish media outlets he dislikes isn’t. The Associated Press, partially barred from White House events because they refuse to update their style manual to require everyone to refer to “The Gulf of America,” is still in a legal battle with the administration over the ban. A court quickly ordered the White House to restore access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Despite that order, Trump still has it in for CNN, which now finds itself barred from covering the president when he travels. This week, Trump began releasing taxpayer-funded political advertisements bearing the legend, “Paid for by the U. S. Government.” The first ad is set to a track by JMSN titled “Love Me” — remember that, it’s important. The ad begins by attacking Marxists, communists and socialists with a voice-over by the president. The second part of the ad lists Trump’s claimed achievements with a voice-over that says, “He is the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.” I am not making this up. The second ad … well, you should really just watch it for yourself. If you think this sounds like it could be a campaign ad, that’s because it is. Trump ran the exact same ad back in January 2024. Normally, I get extremely annoyed with people who try to substitute “common sense” for legal analysis. But even I will admit that you don’t need a law degree to understand why Trump is not allowed to spend the government’s money to run Republican campaign ads. And there are federal statutes that cover this. For starters, the Consolidated Appropriations Act that currently funds the government forbids government funds from being “used directly or indirectly, including by private contractor, for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States” unless approved by Congress. Propaganda includes “purely partisan communications” and “self-aggrandizement.” Trump’s first ad is nothing but self-aggrandizement. (It’s also incredibly cringe worthy, but self-aggrandizement always is.) The second ad — the one with Trump walking down a hallway — is literally a campaign ad. Communication doesn’t get much more partisan than that. In it, Trump tells us “This is the final battle.” He urges Americans to join him in his fight to “throw off the sick political class that hates our country” and help him “rout the fake news media.” Trump has already spent $2.5 million of your taxpayer dollars running these ads. Before he’s done, he is planning to spend at least $20 million on them. His defense is that these are simply public service announcements. “Patriotism isn’t partisan. These public service announcements are unapologetically American, clearly disclosed, and aimed at the country — not a line on the ballot.” Trump might actually believe this, but that makes it worse, not better. That means Trump thinks that it is unpatriotic to write unflattering things about himself. That’s why he sees no problem with banning critical media outlets from the White House or running ads in praise of himself and about getting rid of “the fake news media.” Whether it’s tearing down the East Wing, imposing his architectural whims on Washington, or gearing up to interfere with the November election, Trump appears increasingly convinced: “I am the state.” I can’t speak for his most loyal voters, but the rest of us have no trouble distinguishing between Trump and America. Nothing is more exuberantly American than a vigorous news media criticizing the government. But a president getting above himself and acting like he’s a French king? Now that’s unpatriotic. Chris Truax is an appellate attorney who served as Southern California chair for John McCain’s primary campaign in 2008. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.