Trump Shifts $10 Million in TV Ads to Super PAC After Taxpayer Backlash
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 5
Trump Shifts $10 Million in TV Ads to Super PAC After Taxpayer Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 5
Summary
$10 million-plus in nationwide TV ads that had been funded with taxpayer money will now be paid by Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., after he announced the reversal Monday.
A $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract had financed the spots since September, drawing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans as possible illegal government propaganda.
Trump had defended the arrangement five days earlier, saying the ads promoted the country rather than himself, but cited the backlash in his social media post announcing the change.
MAGA Inc. appears able to absorb the cost: it entered September with about $415 million cash on hand, and it and allied super PACs have already reserved roughly $194 million for ads before November.