Pro-Trump TV ads paid for with Customs and Border Protection money, official says

President Donald Trump’s administration paid for TV ads showing him in a favorable light using money intended for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an official and a top Republican senator confirmed to NBC News.

The source of the funding for the controversial ads the White House has described as public service announcements was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, referred requests for comment to the White House, which did not immediately respond.

The unusual ads — one of which is nearly identical to a 2024 Trump campaign ad — include disclaimers stating they were paid for by the U.S. government. The administration’s apparent use of taxpayer money to produce ads that resemble campaign advertisements has drawn bipartisan criticism.

“It’s a great message. I like the message,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Monday of the most recent ad, “but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday only Trump would have “the audacity to force Americans not only to watch his propaganda, but to pay for it.”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, confirmed the official’s account of the…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business