政府资助的广告显示了特朗普总统能够多大程度地利用联邦资金为自己的目的服务。
The government-funded ads show just how much President Trump has been able to use federal money for his own aims.
据知情人士透露，特朗普总统亲自指示其预算主任动用纳税人资金制作赞扬他及其总统任期的电视广告，从而启动了一份利用国土安全部资金的2000万美元合同。
President Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.
这些广告已在有线电视和网络电视上播出——包括福克斯新闻、CNN和MSNBC，以及福克斯频道的橄榄球比赛和哥伦比亚广播公司、美国广播公司、全国广播公司的全国新闻节目，包括特朗普先生众所周知会观看的《与媒体见面》。
The ads have run across cable and network television — on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, with football games on Fox and with national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, including “Meet the Press,” which Mr. Trump is known to watch.
知情人士称，特朗普渴望看到赞扬性的广告播出，并告诉管理和预算办公室主任拉塞尔·T·沃特从政府内部筹集资金。预算办公室法律顾问马克·帕奥莱塔和白宫法律顾问威尔·沙夫均表示，使用国土安全部资金是合法的。总统和白宫幕僚长苏西·怀尔斯均曾与国土安全部部长马克韦恩·马林就广告事宜进行过沟通。
Mr. Trump was eager to see the laudatory ads on the air and told Russell T. Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to come up with the money from within the government, the people said. Mark Paoletta, the budget office’s counsel, and Will Scharf, the White House counsel, both said it would be legal to use D.H.S. funds. The president and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, both spoke with Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, about the ads.
联邦记录显示，9月20日，隶属于国土安全部的美国海关及边境保卫局将合同授予了马里兰州的一家营销公司LMD。
On Sept. 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection — which falls under D.H.S. — awarded the contract to LMD, a Maryland marketing firm, federal records show.
本文基于对12位熟悉总统对广告感兴趣及其制作过程的人士的采访。他们因描述总统的要求而要求匿名。
This article is based on interviews with 12 people familiar with the president’s interest in the ads and how they came to be. They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the president’s demand.
这些由纳税人资助的广告受到民主党人甚至一些共和党人的批评，被认为可能违反了联邦法律中禁止使用纳税人资金用于“宣传或宣传目的”的规定。与此同时，总统还在指挥其超级政治行动委员会——MAGA Inc.的支出，该组织在秋季拥有4亿美元资金，自他在2024年连任以来一直在筹集资金。
The taxpayer-funded ads have been criticized by Democrats and even some Republicans as a possible violation of federal laws against using taxpayer dollars for “publicity or propaganda purposes.”And they come as the president is also directing spending from his super PAC — MAGA Inc., which entered the fall with $400 million — for which he has been raising money since he won re-election in 2024.