US taxpayers have continued to fund advertising promoting Donald Trump despite the president’s pledge that his MAGA Inc super PAC would take over the campaign’s costs, with almost 22 million dollars (£16.5 million) spent since the operation began in late September.
A federal judge ordered the adverts to be removed, but they remained on air. Almost 10 million dollars of the total was spent after Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post on October 5 that the campaign would be funded privately.
The White House has described the broadcasts as public service announcements. However, Common Cause and other groups have brought a lawsuit arguing that the spending was made without congressional approval and breached restrictions on taxpayer-funded publicity and propaganda.
The advertising campaign comes as Mr Trump steps up his political activity ahead of the midterm elections. He addressed supporters in Youngstown, Ohio, and is due to travel to Alaska, with further events planned later in the week.
His appearances have retained the style of his presidential campaign rallies, combining claims about his administration’s achievements with attacks on Democrats and appeals to enthusiastic supporters. Mr Trump has also urged voters to behave as though he were on the ballot in order to encourage turnout.
The scale of the spending was identified through an analysis of advertising data. The continued broadcasts have intensified scrutiny of whether public money is being used to promote the president and his political movement after his pledge to shift responsibility to MAGA Inc.
