Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A GOP senator, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, blocked a resolution on Tuesday that criticized the Trump administration’s recent taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Donald Trump. Because, you know, using taxpayer dollars to promote the president is totally not a big deal, right? I mean, who needs roads and schools when you can have ads featuring the president walking down a hall saying “this is the final battle”? Bless their hearts.
The resolution, introduced by Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, stated that taxpayer funds should not have been used for the controversial ads. And I’m like, yeah, no kidding. The measure slammed the administration for using government funds for the White House’s recent advertisements, which included the direct language “paid for by the U.S. Government.” You can’t make this stuff up.
Senators on both sides of the aisle have criticized the president for using taxpayer dollars for the ads. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday, “It’s a great message. I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.” And retiring GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas added, “no” it’s not appropriate. “It’s not even a close question,” he said. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we have a story.
On the Senate floor on Tuesday, Hassan said, “The American people want their tax dollars to go towards helping them and keeping them safe, not propaganda campaigns for a president.” Preach, senator, preach. She also said, “He’s welcome to run whatever ads he wants with his own riches, but with taxpayer dollars, money that people have worked hard to earn, he needs to follow the law.” Yeah, because that’s exactly what the president is known for – following the law.
Lummis, on the other hand, echoed the White House’s own argument that the ads are comparable to public service announcements released during previous administrations, and are not campaign ads. Sure, because nothing says “public service announcement” like a president saying “we will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists” in a taxpayer-funded ad. That’s not political at all.
The ads in question feature imagery of Trump walking down a hall as audio plays of him saying “this is the final battle.” And then he says, “We will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.” Wow, that sounds like a real public service announcement – said no one ever.
Hassan attempted to pass the resolution criticizing the use of taxpayer funding for the ads via a fast-track process known as a unanimous consent request. But Lummis objected, because of course she did. And now we have a big ol’ controversy on our hands.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended the ads, arguing they are not political because he is not on the ballot. Uh-huh, sure, Mr. President. He told reporters in the Oval Office, “Well, I’m not running for office, first of all, and so the ads are given by me, but I’m not running for office, and I don’t talk about anybody.” That’s cute, Mr. President. You’re not running for office, but you’re still using taxpayer dollars to promote yourself. That’s not suspicious at all.
The president described the spots as patriotic messaging rather than campaign material. “But when I’m talking about making America great, making our country great, that’s a countrywide ad. That’s an ad for the spirit of our country,” he said. Sure, Mr. President, because nothing says “patriotic messaging” like a president saying “we will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists” in a taxpayer-funded ad.
In conclusion, this whole thing is a big mess. The president is using taxpayer dollars to promote himself, and some senators are not having it. The ads are either patriotic messaging or propaganda, depending on who you ask. And I’m just over here, sipping my coffee, thinking, “Only in America, folks, only in America.” The whole situation is just a big joke, and I’m not sure what’s more laughable – the ads themselves or the president’s defense of them. Either way, it’s been a wild ride, and I’m excited to see what’s next. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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