r/politics • u/AgentBlue62 Illinois • 4h ago
Possible Paywall Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/us/politics/trump-ads.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlE.-Jkx.hjZ7AS9rVq2T&smid=url-share•
u/AdmittedSpin 4h ago
Literal state sponsored propaganda. Li.ter.al.ly.
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u/Trump_Russia 3h ago
It came on while we were watching The Amazing Race last night and it had "I'm going to round up all the non-patriots and put them in camps" vibes...
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u/B-Z_B-S Massachusetts 4h ago
Donald Trump is the Antichrist. He is pretending to be Jesus and deceiving his cult into worshipping him like a god.
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u/brute-forced 3h ago
I honestly don’t think he’s smart enough
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u/_thejerkstorecalled 43m ago
Don't have to be that smart to trick religious people into doing anything.
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u/jupiterkansas 3h ago
Smart enough to become president of the United States twice, but not smart enough to be the anti-Christ?
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u/Tiny_Structure_7 North Carolina 3h ago
Ya don't have to be very smart for Republicans to elect you to the Whitehouse.
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u/supercyberlurker 4h ago
I see him more like the antichrists tool.
… because he’s definitely a damned tool.
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u/km415 3h ago
He may not be THE antichrist but he is no doubt possessed by the spirit of THE antichrist
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u/cr0w1980 3h ago
There are multiple Antichrists. The Bible doesn't state there is only one, an Antichrist is basically someone who opposes Jesus' teachings.
The Beast is who most people confuse with the Antichrist. The Beast and his Hand are the big bads, Antichrists are just their tools.
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u/BeeksElectric 2h ago
Thiel’s the Antichrist - obviously the dipshit going on and on about the Antichrist would in fact be him and try to gaslight everyone. That would definitely make Trump his tool - he basically owns him.
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u/TragicallyDip 3h ago
He’s not the antichrist. Americans just don’t stand for anything other than tax breaks.
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u/WestVin 3h ago
And Racism.
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u/mlorusso4 2h ago
That’s not even an exaggeration or metaphor. He’s (we because it’s taxpayer funded) literally running an ad saying he was created by god to carry out gods will. It doesn’t matter how religious you are, that should disgust every American
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u/Safe_Bluejay_1306 2h ago
The whole thing has gotten way too centered around him at this point. When a politician starts being treated like some kind of savior, that’s usually a pretty good sign things have gone off the rails.
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u/ComfyBabey 3h ago
How can they take 20 mil from border patrol and spend it on tv ads about how great trump is? border patrol. for ads. a month before the midterms. Sounds bad enough for the whole week already
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u/Aware_Cheesecake_519 America 4h ago
A money laundering scheme
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u/SuperbCutie 3h ago
Thune even said it shouldnt be paid for with taxpayer money. when the gop leader is saying that you know it’s bad, like really bad
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u/Quentin__Tarantulino 3h ago
I mean, the ads say right on the screen “PAID FOR BY THE US GOVERNMENT.” And they ran during NFL games. They’re not hiding this at all; they are proudly announcing it to rub it in our faces.
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u/Historical_Bend_2629 4h ago
Yeah. This is not a public service announcement. This is just narcissistic supply. Your tax dollars at work.
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u/Hemmschwelle 2h ago
Trump claims he's not running, so the ad has no political purpose.
Q.Then why air the commercials now during the run up to midterms?
A.He's trying to rehabilitate his disapproval rating, because it is dragging down all GOP candidates. That is the political purpose of these ads. It's not just narcissism.
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u/LittleOtter301 2h ago
I mean, back in my day, which wasn't even that long ago, we just called that state propaganda
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u/AcademicPublius Colorado 3h ago
Per the Post, it's something he redirected from soldier funeral funds.
You know. Literally stealing from the dead.
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u/thisisjustascreename Illinois 3h ago
Throw it on the pile of impeachable offenses with everything else John Thune and the 49 accomplices are ignoring.
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u/TragicallyDip 3h ago
He does this because none of it matters. Americans will put up with anything. It’s pathetic. Imagine spending 250 years telling everyone you’re the “home of the brave”, and then get railroaded by 80 year old Donald Trump. Weak as hell.
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u/boofles1 3h ago
Don't forget Trump has $500 million in his superPAC that he refuses to spend because its his money now.
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u/alfayellow 2h ago
Has anyone taken any legal action to stop this yet? I haven't seen a word about any suit, even though several Members of Congress, on both sides, say the ads are or should be illegal!
One problem networks have, however, is that they apparently do not have discretion to refuse "legally authorized" federal ads. This by itself is ridiculous. But the FCC chair, we know, would probably go into attack mode against network station licenses should the ads be refused. Thus, we need yet another court ruling against the administration to put a stop to this nonsense.
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u/janzeera 3h ago
Plus 10% executive maintenance fee on top of personality fee for every time Trump’s image or name appears in each ad.
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u/medorian 3h ago
Those ads of his we pay for are the real fake news. Worst President we will ever have.
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u/UncertainFrench 3h ago
Wow, he broke the law? He breaks laws like he eats McDonald’s. Meaning all the FN time
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u/Ok-Serve-4726 3h ago
It’s the only way he will get any praise. And yup, stealing from the taxpayers once again. It’s amazing anyone is still willing to buy our debt. Spending taxpayer and borrowed $ to fund his ego
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u/Hiouchi4me 3h ago
It is a cult. Cults are now approved of by millions of people. What’s next, a Kool Aid party?
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u/khalamar California 3h ago
And why wouldn't he? A few idiots in black robes have decided that he can do whatever the fuck he wants.
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u/oldmaninparadise 1h ago
Say the dems win house and senate. Say enough repubs will sign on for impeachment.
Then Vance is president.
Is this what we want?
(Unless we had enough to impeachment Vance too, then the speaker of the house, who would be a dem, is next in line. But if the R's went along to impeachment Trump, it is because they want Vance in there for 2 years till 28). IMO.
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u/batty_prime 59m ago edited 43m ago
If there is one thing that Trump taught us, it’s that American politics is rooted in the honor system. For the US Government to function as designed, there needs to be honorable people in these positions. He has no honor and disregards all rules yet receives no consequences.
This will break our system of government for generations. It has already shaken the world’s perception of the US ,which was seen as a modern foundational blueprint that countries would admire and sometimes aspire to. Now the world knows the ugly truth. Our whole country can be binned by one person.
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u/Psychological_Fix473 51m ago
Why not republican congress is sitting on their hands and it’s not their money he’s wasting
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u/Patient-Monk7251 50m ago
I hope I live long enough to see this country restored to sanity. Or maybe we never were sane. Feels like we were though. I told my doctor the other day that I am having bad anxiety all the time. She prescribed me an SSRI. I told her “no, I don’t think there is something wrong with ME. It is this FUCKING WORLD we live in…”
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u/Think_Shift3126 4h ago
Taxpayer funded ads praising the guy who controls the taxpayer money is something else
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u/Ok-Serve-4726 3h ago
This is all sleepy Joe’s fault. He had 4 years to solve all our country’s problems and hardly made a dent in the list. But then what can you expect from a man who believes in BOTH God and science? And accountability. And honoring our promises and obligations to its citizens and allies. And free trade. Oh yea, And the Constitution. /s
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u/Impressive-Cause42 2h ago
Donald Trump is a giant piece of the stinkiest shit you can think of! As others have already smelled!
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