A federal judge in the United States has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from spending public money on television advertisements featuring President Donald Trump, following a legal challenge alleging that the broadcasts amounted to political propaganda.
US District Judge Jennifer Rochon, based in Manhattan, issued the order on Sunday after watchdog group Common Cause and other plaintiffs sued the administration over the advertisements, which began airing in late September.
The lawsuit argued that the publicly funded broadcasts were designed to promote Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections rather than provide legitimate public service information.
The ruling comes after the advertisements triggered criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, with opponents questioning the use of taxpayers’ money to promote the president during an election period.
Trump Ads Spark Legal Battle Over Public Funds
The plaintiffs, who included Common Cause, a public employee union and a candidate for the Alabama state legislature, had asked the court to block the advertisements by Friday.
They wanted to prevent the broadcasts from appearing during weekend programming, including football games and Saturday Night Live.
However, the Trump administration had already indicated that it planned to discontinue the advertisements before Rochon issued her order, according to a separate statement submitted to the court on Saturday.
Despite that development, the judge’s decision formally places a temporary restriction on the use of taxpayer funds for the broadcasts.
Common Cause President and Chief Executive Officer Virginia Kase Solomón welcomed the development, saying her organisation would continue pushing for accountability.
“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,” she said.
White House Says MAGA PAC Will Fund Future Ads
Trump had defended the advertisements earlier in the week, describing them as a positive message about the United States.
On Monday, he called the broadcasts a “positive promotion for our great U.S.A.” but said they would no longer be financed with taxpayer money.
The White House subsequently announced that Trump’s political action committee, MAGA PAC, would take over funding for the advertisements going forward.
However, the administration said the committee would not reimburse taxpayers for advertisements that had already aired using public funds.
The broadcasts carried a disclaimer at the end stating that they had been paid for by the US government.
The US Justice Department had not immediately responded to a request for comment on the judge’s order.
Democrats File Separate Lawsuit
The controversy has also prompted a separate legal challenge from Democratic Party officials, who filed their own lawsuit in federal court in Washington over the advertisements.
The legal actions have intensified scrutiny of the administration’s use of public resources during the period leading up to the midterm elections.
With the November 3 vote approaching, the dispute centres on whether government-funded advertising featuring the president crosses the line between public communication and political campaigning.
The judge’s order temporarily blocks the use of taxpayer money for the advertisements, while the broader legal dispute continues.
