The Trump administration is running a pro-Trump television advertisement on US cable news channels that urges viewers the United States “will never be a communist country”, according to media tracking data.
The 30-second spot, which carries the disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. Government”, ran repeatedly this week on conservative channels Fox News and Newsmax across multiple media markets, AdImpact said. The advertising buy cost about $14,000, it added.
PSA Label
The advertisement is broadcast with the “Paid for by the U.S. Government” line and is titled as a public service announcement, though it features President Donald Trump delivering political messaging.
A White House spokesperson told ABC News the ad is a “public service announcement” and said it is “educational” rather than political. The spokesperson argued the videos are meant to remind Americans to “love their country” and to understand what it takes to defend it, including “at home, at our borders, and abroad”.
“The President is not on the ballot and the ads don’t have a call to action,” a White House official said in a separate statement. The administration maintained that the PSAs are “clearly not political”.
Communist Country Message
In the video, Trump says: “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country.”
The ad also displays text in red across the screen as it moves through rapid images of Trump. Among the captions are “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY”, “REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING”, and “DEFEND LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE”.
The programme includes a clip from UFC chief executive Dana White’s speech at the Republican National Convention, in which White describes Trump as “the toughest, most resilient person I’ve ever met.”
AdImpact reported the spot aired on Fox and Newsmax, and noted it ran across several markets during the week in question.
Questions Over Use of Government Funds
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, criticised the advertising on social media platform X. He said the use of government resources for the ad could violate federal rules.
“This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes,” Raskin wrote. He also argued it could breach the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activity by federal employees and by some state, Washington, D.C., and local government workers connected to federally funded programmes.
The White House ad appears identical to a 30-second video posted on the White House YouTube page on 13 September titled “America Will Never Be a Communist Country”. That YouTube upload was not labelled as it appeared when aired on Fox News.
Congressional research has found that no single federal agency is responsible for overseeing department advertising budgets. The Congressional Research Service said it also has no single body tasked with oversight of spending on such department advertisements.
Restrictions in government funding measures include a ban on using appropriations for “publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by the Congress”.
Kevin Kosar, who authored a 2014 CRS report and is now a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told ABC News that the advertisement “looks like puffery”.
Earlier Homeland Security Criticism
The administration’s advertising approach has faced scrutiny previously. The Department of Homeland Security was criticised for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that included former Secretary Kristi Noem urging “self-deportation”, and for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign.
Trump said at the time that he had not approved it, and in March told NBC News he was not “thrilled” by it, saying he spent less money to become president.
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25 September 2026
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