Last week, James Joyner noted that the US government was paying for pro-Trump ads on television, in what is clearly a violation of federal law. Over the weekend, another spot dropped. There have been three in total.
Where to begin?
First, it is hard to ignore the ominous, fascist aesthetic on display.
Second, and not to diminish the significance of the first point, this looks like it was shot on an iPhone.
Third, “We will expel the war-mongers from our government.” You don’t say?
On that last point, it continues to strike me that as dangerous as this administration is (and I think it is very dangerous), I am amazed (and somewhat relieved, at least at times) at its incompetence. They are criminal enough to spend American taxpayer dollars on political ads, and this is the message? As Scott Lemieux observed on BlueSky:
as political tactics this ad is amazingly stupid. “This election should be a referendum on whether Trump has been able to end the wars” OK!
And CJ Fogler: “you were the one who started a war and renamed the department of defense to the department of war.”
The topsy-turvy-ness of it all is stunning to behold.
CNN reports: Trump personally helped orchestrate taxpayer-funded ads promoting himself and his policies, source says.
President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, taxpayer-funded video ads promoting himself and his administration’s policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Two Trump advisers familiar with the ads said that they were being created in-house by the White House video team — which is part of the communications team, responsible for the administration’s public messaging.
Indeed, as noted above, it would hardly shock me if the black-and-white footage was shot with an intern’s iPhone. Technology is such that it doesn’t take much to make a TV-ready commercial these days. Leni Riefenstahl must be looking up from Hell and shaking her fists in anger over what she could have done with today’s tech.
The White House has broadly defended the ads, saying they are akin to public service announcements past administrations have put out about Medicare, Obamacare and Covid-19 vaccinations. Officials have insisted they “are very clearly not campaign ads.”
“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” a White House spokesperson said Monday.
For a guy who rattles on about communism (indeed, that’s what the first “PSA” is focused on), he sure likes state-produced propaganda focused on himself as the leader.
And to be clear, these are not Public Service Announcements; they are propaganda pieces meant to boost dear leader.
And John Thune is showing his obeisiance:
“It’s a great message. I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters in the Capitol on Monday.
Sure, the only problem with running these ads is who is paying for them.
More from Will Saletan at The Bulwark: Congratulations, You’re a Trump Campaign Donor.
In the last week, the Trump administration has spent more than $1.7 million in federal funds to run three ads on TV, including on Fox News during primetime, on a Sunday-morning political show, and on NFL games. The White House calls these videos “public service announcements.” In reality, they’re obvious campaign ads. And Trump, through taxation and unauthorized spending, is forcing Americans to pay for them.
This really is tin-pot dictator stuff.
All of the ads glorify Trump. The first one depicts him in silhouette, in grainy black-and-white, and in statuesque illumination. The images echo those of fascist regimes in the early twentieth century.
But, you know, don’t call them fascists.
