Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, accused President Donald Trump on Monday of misappropriating federal funds to pay for political advertising, calling the practice “illegal, shameful, and wrong.” Crow’s statement, posted to X on the morning of Sept. 28, 2026, adds his voice to a growing bipartisan chorus of lawmakers demanding answers over a government-funded television ad promoting Trump ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The Full Post
Crow’s post, published at 9:31 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2026, read in full:
“Trump is stealing your taxpayer dollars to pay for campaign ads.
It’s illegal, shameful, and wrong.”
What Sparked the Accusation
Crow’s post linked to a USA Today report detailing a 30-second television advertisement, produced by the Trump administration and funded with federal dollars, that aired on Fox News, Newsmax and CBS affiliates in the weeks before the midterms. The ad features Trump declaring that “together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America” while a choir sings the refrain “Love me” over a rapid montage of images of the president. The spot closes with the tagline “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
White House Defends the Ad as a Public Service Announcement
A White House official confirmed the ad was produced by the administration and funded with federal dollars, but disputed that it constitutes political content, which would make it illegal under a federal law barring taxpayer-funded political advertising. The official described the spot as a “public service announcement,” arguing it does not promote a political message because it contains no call to action and Trump is not on the November ballot. In a statement Friday, a White House spokesperson said the ad is “educational and unapologetically patriotic,” adding that Americans “should be proud of their country.”
Inside the Ad
The 30-second spot, first clipped and posted online by a CBS News reporter in Miami, flashes campaign-style messaging across the screen, including “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY,” “REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING,” and “AMERICA WILL NEVER BE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY.” Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, a close Trump ally, narrates the ad’s closing seconds, calling Trump “the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met.” The White House has not disclosed the ad’s cost or where it is airing.
Trump Has Urged Supporters to “Pretend” He’s on the Ballot
Although Trump’s name will not appear on any Nov. 3 ballot, he has repeatedly urged supporters to treat the midterms as a referendum on himself. At a Republican midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month, he led attendees in raising their hands to recite a pledge of allegiance to him personally, a moment that drew criticism as recent polling shows Democrats favored to make gains in both chambers of Congress.
Senate Democrats Demand the Ad Be Pulled
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led a group of Democratic lawmakers in a Sept. 24 letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, writing that the ad amounted to “government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America.” The letter cited language in the 2026 federal appropriations law barring the use of government funds for “publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.”
A Second Democratic Letter Presses for Details
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., sent a separate letter to Wiles demanding an accounting of the ad’s production cost, the contractors involved and whether funds were diverted from federal agencies to pay for it. Hassan wrote that the spot “does not have a clear official government purpose” and appears to violate federal restrictions on using appropriated funds for “a general propaganda effort designed to aid a political party or candidates.”
Watchdog Group Files Federal Complaint
Public Citizen, a progressive-leaning consumer advocacy group, filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel, arguing the ad violates both the federal propaganda prohibition and the Hatch Act, which restricts the political activities of executive branch employees. “For anyone with a modicum of ethics, common sense or respect for the law, it’s the most basic thing: taxpayer funds cannot pay for partisan political propaganda,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, who called for the ad to be “immediately pulled from the air.”
Criticism Crosses Party Lines
Republican reaction has not been uniformly supportive. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., compared the use of taxpayer money to tactics associated with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, telling reporters the ad was “inappropriate.” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned the ad’s legality, saying he did not “generally like to see politicians use public money to pay for their own campaign ads.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a frequent Trump critic within his own party, mocked the administration’s defense of the spot online.
Musician Says His Song Was Used Without Permission
The controversy has spread beyond politics. JMSN, the R&B singer-songwriter whose track “Love Me” scores the ad, said on social media that he never authorized the administration to use his music for “ANY political agenda or campaign” and said he is “looking at lawyers” to handle the matter.
GAO Has Flagged Similar Ads Before
The Government Accountability Office has previously ruled that taxpayer-funded messaging from both parties violated federal anti-propaganda restrictions, including a 2015 finding that an Obama-era EPA social media campaign crossed the line because some of its messages did not disclose the agency’s role in creating them. The White House has argued the “Love Me” ad is different because it explicitly identifies itself as “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” and has compared it to past taxpayer-funded messaging under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Crow’s Broader Record on Government Corruption
Crow’s accusation is consistent with a pattern of anti-corruption legislation he has pursued as co-chair of the House’s End Corruption Caucus. In June 2026, he introduced the Drain the Slush Fund Act, aimed at blocking the Trump administration from using taxpayer dollars for what his office described as political purposes, and the SHINE Act, targeting undisclosed “dark money” spending in elections. Earlier that same month, Crow joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in a letter demanding answers on reports of potential corruption in federal contracts benefiting the Trump family.
Democratic National Committee Piles On
The Democratic National Committee also condemned the ad. “Just like his gilded vanity projects, Trump wants taxpayers to foot the bill for his campaign ads to promote his failed agenda that has left working people in the dust,” DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer said in a statement.
What Comes Next
Neither the GAO nor the Office of Special Counsel has issued a ruling on Public Citizen’s complaint, and the White House has given no indication it plans to pull the ad from air. With just over five weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 midterms and Democrats currently favored in national polling to retake ground in Congress, the dispute over the “Love Me” ad is likely to remain a flashpoint in the closing weeks of the campaign.