US FCC chair says government ads featuring Trump do not raise concerns

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Sept ‌30 (Reuters) - The chair ​of ​the Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump are not improper and do ‌not raise any red flags.

Democratic lawmakers said the White House ⁠transferred $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds to air the ads, including one that closely ‌resembles a 2024 Trump campaign ‌ad.

"There's nothing in there that strikes me to merit any sort of FCC review or any liability for any broadcaster for running ​a regular, normal (public service announcement)," FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Republican who was named head of the agency by Trump in January 2025, ⁠said.

Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the three nationally broadcast ads, which celebrate ​a "golden age of America" and are airing five weeks before midterm elections.

Lawmakers have questioned whether public funds are being ​used to promote Trump politically, while other ‌critics say the spots may violate longstanding restrictions on government propaganda and political activity.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, ⁠criticized the ads. "This administration has launched an aggressive effort to influence the outcome of the midterm elections," Gomez said.

The White House has defended the spots as "public service ⁠announcements" intended to promote patriotism rather than campaign ads.

Public Citizen filed a complaint with ​the FCC arguing the spots are campaign advertisements that should not be produced or distributed with taxpayer resources.

One ad features Trump declaring that "America will never be a ‌communist country" while a chorus repeats the words "love me." Another combines images of Mount Rushmore with footage of Trump ‌praising a "golden age of America." A third describes a "final battle" against the "deep ⁠state" and closely resembles one ‌of Trump's 2024 campaign advertisements.

The ​ads end with a disclaimer saying they were paid for by the US government.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by ‌David Gaffen)

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