A US judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using taxpayer money to fund advertisements promoting President Donald Trump, following a bipartisan backlash over the publicly funded campaign. US District Judge Jennifer Rochon, based in Manhattan, issued the order after a lawsuit alleged that the advertisements served political interests rather than legitimate public information purposes.
The advertisements began airing in late September, weeks before the November 3 midterm elections. Plaintiffs, including government watchdog group Common Cause, argued that the campaign amounted to political propaganda intended to benefit Republican candidates.
The administration had already indicated that it planned to stop running the advertisements before the judge issued the order, according to a court filing submitted on Saturday.
Common Cause Challenges Use of Public Funds
Common Cause President and CEO Virginia Kase Solomón welcomed the decision, saying the organisation would continue seeking accountability over the use of taxpayer money for political messaging.
The lawsuit also included a public employee union and a candidate for the Alabama state legislature. The plaintiffs had asked the court to block the advertisements by Friday to prevent them from airing during weekend programming, including football broadcasts and Saturday Night Live.
Democratic Party officials separately challenged the advertisements in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, adding to the legal scrutiny surrounding the campaign.
The central issue is whether government-funded advertisements crossed the line between public service messaging and political promotion. The plaintiffs argued that the content was designed to benefit candidates from Trump's Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.
White House Says MAGA PAC Will Fund Future Ads
Trump had described the advertisements as a “positive promotion for our great USA” but said they would no longer be funded by taxpayers. The White House subsequently stated that MAGA PAC, the president's political action committee, would finance the campaign going forward.
However, the White House said the political action committee would not reimburse taxpayers for advertisements that had already aired. Those advertisements carried a disclaimer stating that they were paid for by the US government.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the judge's order.
Legal Dispute Raises Questions Over Campaign Advertising
The temporary injunction marks a significant development in the dispute over the use of public funds for advertisements featuring a sitting president shortly before an election.
The case centres on the purpose and financing of the campaign, with the plaintiffs seeking to prevent taxpayer money from being used for what they describe as partisan political messaging.
The court's order temporarily blocks the advertisements, while the broader legal dispute over their funding and purpose remains unresolved.
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