AdvertisementAdvertisementWorldUS President Donald Trump had drawn fire for using taxpayer funds for TV advertisements promoting himself.President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Central Nebraska Regional Airport, on Oct 5, 2026, in Grand Island, Nebraska. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)06 Oct 2026 09:43AM (Updated: 06 Oct 2026 10:01AM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Oct 5) he will use his own money to pay for political ads ahead of November's midterm elections, an about-face after drawing fire for using taxpayer funds for TV spots promoting himself.The White House and Trump vigorously defended the ads as patriotic public service announcements similar to those run by previous presidents.The ads have elicited criticism from both political parties."This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.Show MoreShow LessThe first such ad, broadcast in late September, features a song saying "Love Me" while Trump proclaims "America will never be a communist country".Another one shows Trump warning of a "final battle" over black-and-white footage of him walking down a hallway, with an onscreen message saying: "Paid for by the US Government".The ads sparked a backlash from both sides of the US political divide."You can't spend public money to promote yourself," Republican Senator John Kennedy said about them.Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper described the ads on X as "propaganda", calling them "illegal" and "un-American".Top court grants Trump bid to use federal database to verify voter rollsCommentary: Why a booming economy is not helping TrumpSource: AFP/ecSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST