Arabic version: ترامب يقول إنه سيموّل الإعلانات الوطنية بنفسه

According to BBC News, President Donald Trump said he will stop using US taxpayer funds to pay for television advertisements featuring him after bipartisan criticism of the campaign. In a social-media post on Monday, Trump said he considered the advertisements positive promotion for the United States, but would instead pay for what he called “Patriotic Ads” himself and with money raised through his MAGA Inc super political action committee.

More than a dozen advertisements have aired in recent weeks. They praise Trump and his policies, including his tax cuts, US manufacturing and law and order. In the spots, Trump also promises action against the “deep state” and people he views as enemies. One advertisement includes his pledge to cast out “communists, Marxists, and fascists” and to “liberate America from these villains once and for all”.

The advertisements prompted questions about their legality because of laws against using government money for political ads. The White House has described them as educational public service announcements rather than propaganda, pointing to advertisements under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Legal ethics expert Margaret Dylus-Yukins told the BBC that previous government adverts had typically concerned public health or national emergencies, and questioned what legitimate government purpose the Trump ads served.

Criticism has come from both parties ahead of November’s midterm elections. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan introduced a measure denouncing the use of government funds for the advertisements, but it was blocked by a Republican. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he liked the message but that it should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars. Republican Senator John Kennedy said public officials, including Trump, should not spend public money on private ads for themselves.