DNC sues Trump admin, alleging taxpayer-funded ads violate federal laws

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Wednesday sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over television advertisements that it described as campaign-style, accusing the administration of using taxpayer funds in violation of federal laws, reported Xinhua.

The Trump administration is using taxpayer dollars to air political advertisements, a blatant violation of the statutory ban on the use of appropriations for "publicity or propaganda purposes," the DNC said in a complaint, adding that Trump "personally directed this illegal activity."

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, listed the president, the White House office, the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as defendants.

In late September, advertisements began to appear on broadcast television, touting Trump and his midterm messaging, including one which is virtually identical to a 2024 campaign ad, according to the complaint, which noted that each ends with the statement "Paid for by the U.S. Government."

The DNC argued that the Trump administration's "illegal use of taxpayer dollars for campaign-style advertisements deprives the DNC of a fair electoral process by adding public funds to the resources available to support Republican candidates."

The DNC further argued that the use of public funds places it and Democratic candidates at an electoral disadvantage.

The latest lawsuit came two days after Trump announced on social media that he will be paying for the ads by himself and with money he raised for MAGA, Inc., a pro-Trump political action committee.

"The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads ... and paying for them with U.S.A. money. This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that ... I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The DNC's lawsuit, however, alleged that the ads continued to air with the label "Paid for by the U.S. Government."

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed that Trump's approval rating remained at a record low of 32 percent, unchanged from a September poll that marked the lowest rating of his political career.

Trump's 32-day campaign tour for the midterm elections kicked off on Oct. 1 and is expected to take him to at least 10 states during the final four weeks of the campaign, according to a Politico report which cited a senior White House official and another person with direct knowledge of the president's travel schedule.

The blitz includes traditional Senate battlegrounds -- Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia -- as well as red states the president won by double digits in 2024: Texas, Iowa, Alaska, Ohio and Kansas, according to the report.