President Donald Trump will not reimburse the federal government for $10 million already spent on campaign-style advertisements run by the administration. Facing legal threats and complaints from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Trump said Monday he would pay for future ads himself and through his MAGA, Inc. super PAC.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was funding "Patriotic Ads" through his PAC after the Radical Left objected to advertisements he considers "a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A." The White House clarified Tuesday that Trump's pledge did not extend to repaying the money already disbursed.

White House officials defended the spending as standard presidential public service announcements used to explain policy and the nation's direction. They cited previous administrations' ad campaigns for Medicare prescription drug benefits, anti-drug initiatives, Affordable Care Act enrollment and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Congress has documented the ads cost $10 million from the Department of Homeland Security's $20 million ad production budget. The administration spent more than $2 million to secure airtime on national television networks, where the ads have aired hundreds of times.

One Trump ad appears lifted directly from a 2024 campaign video promoting a "final battle against globalists and warmongers." Another uses the song "Love Me" by JMSN, who issued a cease-and-desist notice demanding the administration stop using it.

Each ad ends with the caption "Paid for by the U.S. Government." Legal experts and lawmakers say this attribution masks an illegal use of taxpayer dollars.

Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics lawyer and co-founder of Democracy Defenders Action, said the spending constitutes "an unlawful and outrageous misuse of public funds." Federal law forbids using taxpayer dollars for political propaganda, Eisen said.

Legal restrictions bar Trump from directly controlling a super PAC's spending decisions. How Trump intends to personally spend or direct MAGA, Inc. funds for the ads remains unclear given these constraints.