Trump Runs Ads on Networks He's Fighting

Taxpayer-funded TV ads promoting President Trump are popping up on two cable news networks he's trying to keep off the White House grounds. The administration has spent an estimated $2.87 million on three spots it labels "public service announcements," including on CNN and MS NOW, even as the White House limits the networks' access in ways not covered by a judge's order pausing broader bans, the Washington Post reports. Two 30-second ads air in major markets and feature Trump promising to "defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America" and attacking the "deep state," "warmongers," and "globalists."

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan tried Tuesday to win Senate approval for a resolution saying ads like these "should not be paid for by the United States government." It was blocked by Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, per the Post. Ethics experts and Democrats say the messaging appears political and could run afoul of rules against government propaganda, especially after the Wall Street Journal reported the money came from the Department of Homeland Security. The White House defends the ads as "public service announcements" that remind Americans "to love their country." CNN's Kaitlan Collins said on air that most people would think of a PSA as "boil your water, there's a tornado coming, or you need to prepare for this."