Judge halts $20M Trump ad campaign funded by taxpayers

A U.S. federal judge in New York ordered the Trump administration on Sunday evening, Oct. 11, 2026, to stop running taxpayer-funded television ads that feature the president, a temporary block issued while lawsuits challenging the campaign move forward.

The ads were paid for through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract, and about $19 million in ad buys had been made through Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The order lands 23 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon, who sits in Manhattan, issued a four-page order that requires the administration to cancel any “slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements,” the Inquirer said. Axios reported that she found the plaintiffs “demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits” and “will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction.” Straight Arrow News reported that she ordered the remaining spots cancelled at 6:45 p.m. Eastern, several hours before the campaign was due to end.

The New York case was brought by Common Cause and other plaintiffs represented by Democracy Forward, according to Axios. The Democratic National Committee filed a separate suit in Washington. Al Jazeera reported that both suits were filed on Oct. 7 and argue that the spending breaks the separation of powers and an appropriations provision that bars federal money from being used for “publicity or propaganda purposes.” Al Jazeera also reported that the suits allege Trump directed the White House to redirect $20 million that Congress had set aside for commemorative activities related to border security. The Inquirer reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of Homeland Security, awarded the contract in late September to a Maryland marketing firm.

Democracy Forward said it was “pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda,” Axios reported.

The administration has defended the ads. It has said they are public service announcements and that past Republican and Democratic administrations also used taxpayer-funded advertising, Axios reported. The White House said the spots “are very clearly not campaign ads,” adding that “President Trump is not on the ballot, and there is no call to action,” according to Straight Arrow News. Trump described the ads as a “positive promotion” for the country in a Truth Social post that the White House pointed Axios to. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the ads as referring to “America’s greatness.” “It wasn’t a plea to vote for anybody,” he said, the Inquirer reported.

The ads ran on programs including Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and weekend Fox football games, the Inquirer reported. One touted the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and another echoed a 2024 Trump campaign video that called his political opponents “villains.” Al Jazeera, citing the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, reported that more than $12 million had been spent as of Oct. 8.

Spending that has already happened is a separate question. Trump has said his super PAC, MAGA Inc., will pay for any future ads, but the White House has said it has no plans to reimburse the government for the money already spent, Axios and the Inquirer reported. The Justice Department said in a Saturday filing that no further ad buys were planned, the Inquirer said.

Public opinion has weighed against the use of public money for the spots. Al Jazeera reported that a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 86 per cent of Americans said it was inappropriate; the report did not give the poll’s field dates or margin of error, and Canada News Media has not reviewed the poll itself. Al Jazeera also reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he agreed with the message of one ad but that it should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars.

The judge’s order is temporary and does not decide whether the spending was unlawful. A hearing on next steps in the case was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, Axios reported.

Via Axios, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Straight Arrow News and Al Jazeera. The order itself was not available to Canada News Media at the time of writing, and details of it are as reported by those outlets.

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