The Trump administration is facing bipartisan backlash after releasing a government-funded television advertisement that targets communism, socialism, and Marxism, The Hill reports. The 30-second spot has drawn sharp criticism for its use of taxpayer dollars, especially with midterm elections approaching in November.
The commercial features President Donald Trump stating, “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America,” and, “America will never be a communist country.” While the administration maintains that the content is educational, the timing and the use of public funds have raised serious questions among lawmakers.
Rep. Jamie Raskin took to X to voice his concerns regarding the legality of the ad. He stated, “This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes,” and added, “It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it.” Raskin further noted, “It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.”
The criticism is not limited to the Democratic side of the aisle
Sen. Thom Tillis expressed his disapproval by comparing the move to the tactics of Viktor Orbán, the right-wing Hungarian prime minister. During a conversation with reporters, Tillis said, “It’s not like they need a GoFundMe page to have the dollars to do that sort of ad and they could do it. But using taxpayer dollars, it feels like Viktor Orbán.” Sen. John Kennedy also weighed in on the controversy, noting that he does not like to see politicians use public money to pay for their own campaign ads.
The White House has defended the production, insisting that the content is not political in nature. A White House official pointed out that the president is not on the ballot and the ads do not contain a specific call to action.
A spokesperson explained, “The public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.” The spokesperson also described the ad as “educational and unapologetically patriotic,” adding that “we should be proud of our country.”
The ad, which reportedly cost $14,000 to produce, features footage of President Trump alongside text referencing the “largest tax cuts in history,” “reigniting American manufacturing,” and a commitment to “defend law and order and police.”
It also includes a segment where UFC President and CEO Dana White says, “He’s 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.” The screen explicitly displays the text “paid for by the U.S. Government” at the end.
Beyond the political fallout, the administration is dealing with a copyright issue. The song “Love Me” by JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj, serves as the background music for the spot. Berishaj took to X to clarify that he did not authorize the use of his work. He wrote, “To anybody who has followed my career and knows what I stand for and built my career on, it should go without saying that I would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign.”
He added, “I’ve built my career independently outside of any major system and have made it a point to not sacrifice my artistic integrity.” Berishaj concluded his statement by saying, “I don’t have a publicist or anything so being forced in a situation like this and having to comment is ridiculous. I am looking at lawyers and handling this internally.”
The commercial began airing on Wednesday night during conservative programming on Fox News and Newsmax.
Published: Sep 24, 2026 05:56 pm