A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Sunday to take the U.S. government-funded, pro-Trump television ads off the air, effective immediately.
“Plaintiffs have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits, will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction, the balance of the equities tips in their favor, and an injunction serves the public interest,” U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon of the Southern District of New York wrote.
The administration said Saturday the Department of Homeland Security, via a vendor, had placed ad buys through Sunday.
The White House, DHS and the Office of Management and Budget, which are all named as defendants in the suit. MAGA Inc., which Trump said last week would pay for the ads moving forward, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda,” the plaintiffs said in a statement. “There is no legal justification — and no precedent — for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda.”
Critics scrutinized the ads, including one nearly identical to a 2024 Trump campaign ad, arguing that using taxpayer money could be illegal and labeling the spots propaganda.
