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Pro-Trump TV ads reportedly funded with money meant for Customs and Border Protection

The Wall Street Journal reported, and an official and Sen. Susan Collins confirmed to NBC News, that TV ads showing President Trump favourably were paid for with money intended for Customs and Border Protection. Critics include members of both parties.

2 outlets · 2L · 0C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: NBC News
Image: Raw Story

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The story, neutrally told

The Trump administration paid for TV ads showing the president in a favourable light using money intended for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an official confirmed to NBC News. The funding source was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The White House has described the ads as public service announcements, and they carry disclaimers saying they were paid for by the U.S. government.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, confirmed the source of the funds, saying the money was taken from funding meant for CBP in the "One Big Beautiful Bill". The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to NBC News. One ad is nearly identical to a 2024 Trump campaign ad, and the first featured Trump talking about wanting to "defeat communism"; lawyers for the musician JMSN sent the White House a cease-and-desist letter over the music used.

AdImpact estimated the administration has spent more than $1.7 million to run the ads. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said he liked the message but that it should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars, while Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the ads propaganda. According to the Journal, as relayed by Raw Story, CBP normally runs ads discouraging migration, but these ads cover broader themes, and Trump personally pushed for them, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor called the spending "theft" on his Substack and said the ads had aired more than 2,300 times on local stations by Sunday.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
NBC News (lean left) reports the funding with officials' confirmation and bipartisan criticism. Raw Story (left) gives an opinionated account built around a former DHS official's condemnation and compares it to Trump's casino history.
Emphasis
NBC stresses Republican and Democratic objections, the ad spending estimate and the music dispute. Raw Story stresses Miles Taylor's charges of corruption and the timing before an election.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither outlet includes a White House defence beyond its description of the ads as public service announcements; the White House did not respond to NBC News. Only the two left-leaning outlets covered the story.
Charged language
“head-spinningly corrupt”“pilfering”“glorifying himself”“theft”
For example
“has drawn bipartisan criticism” — NBC News
“this is totally unprecedented and head-spinningly corrupt” — Raw Story

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