US judge blocks Trump's $20 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign

A US court on Sunday ordered the Donald Trump administration to cancel television commercials funded with millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote the president's political message. US district judge Jennifer L Rochon in New York issued a temporary restraining order directing the administration to cancel any remaining ads, including those scheduled to air on Sunday night. "Defendants shall not enter into, renew, or expand any agreement authorizing the development, creation, dissemination, placement, or airing of the challenged advertisements" during the two-week period covered by the order, the judge said. The order came after nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause challenged the ads, calling them an illegal misuse of taxpayer funds. In a court filing late Saturday, the justice department argued that a temporary restraining order was unnecessary because "the alleged offending conduct will end tomorrow". The department of homeland security allocated $20 million in taxpayer money for the advertisements. The money used for the ads came from a $175 million package Congress allocated to the department as part of Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. The White House has defended the commercials as public service announcements, similar to those used by previous administrations to promote government policies. However, the recent ads differ from many past public service announcements because they are not aimed at helping the public access or benefit from specific government programmes. One of the commercials closely replicates an advertisement Trump ran during his 2024 presidential re-election campaign.