The Trump administration bought advertising space on both CNN and MS NOW, running taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Donald Trump, even as the president barred both cable networks from the White House grounds — bans that have been paused by a federal judge.
The White House in recent days began running three advertisements that it calls “public service announcements,” which Democrats and former ethics officials have claimed could violate government ethics laws because of their political nature.
For two of the three advertisements in the campaign, the administration has bought ad space on CNN and MS NOW in local markets, according to data from AdImpact.
“The Country He Loves,” a 30-second ad, in which Trump promises to “defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America,” has aired on MS NOW for viewers in Los Angeles. It has also aired on CNN in Los Angeles and Albany, New York.
“Final Battle,” a 30-second ad with a similar tone, shows Trump railing against the “deep state,” “warmongers” and “globalists.” The ad has aired for viewers of MS NOW in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. It also aired once on CNN in Los Angeles.
The Trump administration has spent at least $2.87 million running the three ads, according to a modeled estimate from AdImpact. The company said that because the ad is classified as a PSA rather than traditional political advertising, it could not release administration’s exact spending; the company also could not isolate how much was spent specifically on CNN and MS NOW.
The Trump administration made the bulk of its ad spend on CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and Fox News — where it has bought thousands of ad placements in the past week. But the inclusion of MS NOW, on which it bought 38 ads, and CNN, where it bought 10 ads, according to AdImpact, are notable because of Trump’s ongoing battle to bar the networks from the White House.
The White House bans, which also include Politico, were temporarily halted by a federal judge who found that the news outlets were likely to succeed in a case filed last week against the White House. The three outlets have since returned to the White House grounds to cover the president.
The White House, however, has prohibited CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One and from serving as the rotational TV pooler covering the president, functions that fall outside of the judge’s ruling.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration used federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security to place the ads.
The White House declined to comment on the specific ad spends, but wrote in a statement that the “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.”
“We know the size, engagement, and influence of the MS NOW audience, and apparently the White House does, too. The decision to spend taxpayer dollars to reach our audience speaks for itself,” MS NOW spokesman Richard Hudock wrote in a statement.
“Like all paid advertising on MS NOW, this spot was subject to an established review process by the sales team. Accepting an advertisement is not an endorsement of its message, and purchasing airtime will never purchase favorable coverage. Our journalists have already reported on the serious questions surrounding these advertisements, and we will continue doing exactly that.”
CNN declined to comment.
Hosts on both networks have appeared perplexed or critical of the ads.
MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough said on “Morning Joe” that the decision to use taxpayer dollars to air this ad was “beyond comprehension.”
Jen Psaki, an MS NOW host who worked in the White House during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, called the ad “government propaganda.”
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said on air that most people would think of a PSA as “boil your water, there’s a tornado coming, or you need to prepare for this.”
“I’ve seen the U.S. government pay for a lot of stuff that I’d say is a real waste of money, but nothing quite like that,” Jake Tapper said.
Katherine Doyle and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.
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