A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to cancel any remaining taxpayer-funded television ads promoting the president, capping days of controversy over the $20 million campaign.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon granted a temporary restraining order Sunday night, siding with a coalition led by the watchdog Common Cause that called the ads an illegal misuse of public money. The two-week order bars the administration from entering into, renewing, or expanding any agreement to develop, place, or air the challenged ads — and tells officials to cancel every remaining placement, including any set to air Sunday night.
The ads, which began airing in late September, promoted Trump's policies and achievements ahead of the November 3 midterms. The Department of Homeland Security drew the money from a $175 million package Congress gave the department for immigration enforcement — and legal experts have warned that spending it on promotional ads may run afoul of the federal ban on using appropriated funds for "publicity or propaganda."
The administration pushed back hard on the need for the order. In a court filing late Saturday, the Justice Department argued the temporary restraining order was unnecessary because the ad campaign was already ending — "the alleged offending conduct will end tomorrow," DOJ wrote. The White House pointed to Trump's October 5 statement defending the ads as "rather standard" while saying, amid the backlash, that his political fundraising would pick up future costs.
Trump himself called the ads "a positive promotion for our great U.S.A." while saying they would no longer be taxpayer-funded. MAGA PAC will fund the ads going forward, though the White House said taxpayers won't be reimbursed for the spots that already ran. The ads end with a disclaimer that they were paid for by the U.S. government.
Common Cause and the plaintiffs celebrated the ruling. "We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda," the plaintiffs said in a statement issued by Democracy Forward, the nonprofit legal organization representing them. Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón added: "We won't stop until this administration is held fully accountable, and no president from any party can waste and abuse taxpayer funds for propaganda ever again."
The ruling is temporary — a two-week order, not a final verdict on whether the ads broke the law. The underlying case will keep moving through the courts, with the funding question now settled by MAGA PAC picking up the tab.
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