Trump administration's taxpayer-funded TV commercials continued airing for nearly 24 hours after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking them on October 11, 2026. The government claimed the DHS ad purchases had expired and would not be renewed, but ads persisted into October 12 before compliance was achieved. US Attorney Jamie McDonald filed a status report apologizing, attributing the delay to a one-hour gap between the court's email notification and agency awareness.
Background
The case centers on whether government-funded political advertisements violate a US law prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for publicity or propaganda. This follows Trump's October 5 claim that he would pay for the ads personally with MAGA, Inc. funds rather than federal money.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 14, 2026 at 03:50 AM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10