FCC Chair Declines to Review Trump Administration's Taxpayer-Funded Ad Campaign as Criticism Mounts

The head of the United States' broadcast regulator has said a series of publicly funded television advertisements promoting President Donald Trump do not warrant scrutiny, even as the spots draw condemnation from lawmakers in both major parties.

Brendan Carr, whom Trump appointed to lead the Federal Communications Commission, told reporters on Wednesday that he saw nothing in the advertisements that would justify an investigation by his agency. "There's nothing in there that strikes me to merit any sort of FCC review," Carr said, according to Al Jazeera.

Carr compared the advertisements to conventional public service announcements, adopting a framing the White House has used to push back against accusations that the president is diverting public money to promote himself. Media freedom organizations, however, have accused Carr of helping Trump turn the FCC into a tool for targeting news and television networks whose coverage has displeased him.

The dispute centres on a set of spots that have aired nationally during major sporting events and other high-rated broadcasts. The Department of Homeland Security is expected to spend roughly $20m on the campaign, according to Democratic senators who have demanded that it stop.

One advertisement is a black-and-white video showing Trump striding down a hallway in slow motion. The audio, lifted from his most recent presidential campaign, features Trump declaring that Americans are engaged in a "final battle" and vowing to "demolish the deep state," expel "warmongers" from government, and drive out "globalists," "communists, Marxists and fascists."

A second spot strings together footage of Trump with audio in which he says, "Together, we will defeat communism, socialism, and Marxism." Red capital letters then list claimed achievements, including "largest tax cuts in American history" and "reigniting American manufacturing." The video is set to a song called "Love Me" by the artist JMSN, who said on X last week that his music was used without permission. His lawyers wrote to the White House on Monday threatening further action if the track is not removed, noting that JMSN "does not want to be viewed as directly or indirectly affiliated with the President or his Administration."

Defending the campaign last week, the White House rejected characterisations of the spots as campaign advertising. "President Trump is not on the ballot, and there is no call to action," a statement said. "Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it's worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad."

That argument has not satisfied critics on Capitol Hill. Senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy wrote to DHS this week demanding an end to the spending, describing the advertisements as "corrupt and illegal propaganda." They called for the spots to be pulled immediately, for taxpayers to be reimbursed, and for those responsible to face consequences.

Opposition has also come from within Trump's own party. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said the advertisements resembled messaging that might come from former Hungarian leader Viktor Orban. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said he agreed with the content of one spot but argued that "it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars."

Some Democrats have gone further, raising the prospect of criminal exposure. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote on X that the administration's conduct "may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes." He also suggested that government employees involved in producing the material could have run afoul of the Hatch Act, a 1939 statute barring federal workers from engaging in political activity.

The confrontation unfolds against a broader fight over the FCC's role. The agency has faced accusations of waging an intimidation campaign against broadcasters, with ABC News alleging in July that the commission was seeking to shape coverage. Trump has also threatened to refer journalists to the regulator, including NBC's Kristen Welker, after interviews he disliked. Carr's latest comments are likely to reinforce concerns among press freedom advocates that the commission is unwilling to police the administration's use of publicly funded messaging.

Whether the advertisements continue to air may depend less on the FCC than on political pressure. With midterm elections approaching — Trump has said he intends to campaign for 32 days before them — the spots are certain to remain a flashpoint. Even though the Constitution prevents Trump from seeking a third term, he has floated the idea of another presidency and sells merchandise reading "Trump 2028," a detail critics cite as evidence that the advertisements serve a political purpose rather than a public information one.

For now, the regulator's position is clear: it does not intend to intervene. That stance leaves the dispute to Congress, the courts, and voters, as lawmakers weigh whether taxpayer-funded messaging that promotes a sitting president crosses a legal line — and who, if anyone, will be held to account if it does.