Judge orders Trump to halt taxpayer-funded TV ads
A federal judge ruled Sunday that the administration must cancel remaining taxpayer-paid television commercials promoting the president's political message, after criticism from both parties.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
This story is no longer being updated. It reflects reporting up to .
What happened
A federal judge on Sunday ordered President Donald Trump to cancel any remaining taxpayer-funded television ads promoting himself. The ads praised Trump and included footage from his presidential campaign, and a coalition of nonprofits had sued, calling them propaganda. Trump has said campaign funds would be used to pay for the commercials going forward.
Why it matters
The ruling drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans ahead of the midterms. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the order only the beginning.
Timeline
- Sunday: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to cancel any remaining taxpayer-funded television ads promoting the president.
- Oct 12, 7:59 AM ET: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the order and said it was only the beginning.
- Oct 12, 9:22 AM ET: The president said campaign funds would be used to pay for the commercials going forward.
Coverage
- Judge orders the Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded TV ads (PBS)
- Judge orders Trump to cancel $20 million in taxpayer-funded political ads ahead of the midterms (AP)
- Fmr. WH ethics lawyer: ‘We’ve never seen something like this’ (CNN)
- Judge blocks Trump administration from airing taxpayer-funded campaign-style ads (The Washington Post)
- Schumer: Judge halting Trump ads ‘only the beginning’ (The Hill)
- US judge orders Trump to cancel taxpayer-funded TV ads (Yahoo News)
- Federal Judge Bars Trump Administration From Airing Publicly Funded Ads (The New York Times)
- Judge orders Trump to cancel taxpayer-funded TV ads (Los Angeles Times)
- Judge halts Trump administration's taxpayer-funded ads (Axios)
- Federal judge orders pro-Trump TV ads funded by taxpayers off air immediately (NBC News)
- Judge orders Trump admin to stop airing challenged government-funded ads immediately (CNBC)
- Trump ads funded by taxpayers halted by federal judge (USA Today)
- Judge orders the Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded promotional TV ads (AP)
- Trump’s multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded ad campaign ends Sunday, officials say (CNN)
More from Politics
- Senate Majority PAC enters Mississippi race with commercials
- Romanian parliament backs Luca Niculescu's new government
- France imposes curfew after violent weekend protests
- James Madison, UC Davis experts weigh in on 2026 midterms
- Most Americans doubt Trump would accept midterm losses, poll finds
- Federal investigators interview Rep. Ilhan Omar's sister