Judge orders Trump to halt taxpayer-funded ads with hours left in administration’s push

(CNN) — A federal judge on Sunday evening ordered the Trump administration to cancel any further airings of the controversial taxpayer-funded ads that promote President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Judge Jennifer Rochon granted a temporary restraining order requested by a coalition led by the nonprofit government watchdog group Common Cause, which had challenged the ad buys in a New York federal court.

The Justice Department told Rochon, an appointee of Joe Biden, late Saturday that the ad push was set to end Sunday night. But Rochon said that timing didn’t render the lawsuit moot and ordered the government to halt any further airings as of 6:45 p.m. ET.

Earlier, the government said in a filing to the court that it has already spent $19 million in taxpayer money on the ads.

The administration allocated $20 million for the ads, which were classified as “public service announcements,” from US Customs and Border Protection, CNN previously reported. An advertising company, LMD Agency Inc., “purchased media buys under the terms of the Order through Sunday, October 11, 2026, at an approximate cost of $19,000,000,” senior Department of Homeland Security official Holly Mehringer said in a sworn declaration in the case.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes CBP, directed LMD “to not make any additional media buys past October 11,” she added. Mehringer noted there are “no plans” to purchase any additional ads.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns about the unprecedented ad campaign when it began late last month.

On October 5, Trump acknowledged the backlash and said “I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” his super PAC.

But six days later, the taxpayer-funded ads were still airing.

The Trump administration created at least 13 campaign-style ads, some of which have aired on TV networks including CBS, CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Fox. Watchdog groups, including the nonprofit, nonpartisan Common Cause, said the ads mark a clear violation of appropriations law restricting the use of federal funding for propaganda or partisan communications. Common Cause and the Democratic National Committee separately sued the Trump administration over the ads.

In a response to the Common Cause lawsuit, the Justice Department said in a filing late Saturday that an effort to halt the spending should be denied because the ads “will not continue past tomorrow.”

The judge’s order Sunday would block any further ad buys for two weeks, so if the administration does consider resuming the ad campaign at taxpayer expense, DOJ lawyers would need to get the court order lifted.

The coalition that brought the suit praised the judge’s order, writing, “We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda.”

CNN previously reported that Trump has personally driven the video ads, including helping select the imagery and videos used, according to a source familiar with the matter. Two Trump advisers familiar with the ads said they were being created in-house by the White House video team — which is part of the communications team, responsible for the administration’s public messaging — though at least one of them was produced by a pro-Trump meme group.

Mehringer, in the court filing, described the ads as “depicting the President of the United States and his administration’s various efforts related to protecting America’s borders, including enhancements of border security by combating drug trafficking,” though that is not the exact substance of many of the ads obtained by CNN.

And while the Justice Department conceded the ads “(attack) a generic list of ‘villains,’” it emphasized they did not “address any specific race, electoral candidate, or party.”

A White House spokesperson said Monday that Trump did not plan to reimburse the government for the money already spent on the ad buys, and Mehringer and other officials did not indicate any plans for a refund.

The White House Office of Management and Budget last month allocated $20 million in taxpayer money from CBP for what it called “OBBBA commemorative events.” (OBBBA is an abbreviation for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law in 2025.)

Mehringer emphasized in her declaration that that money “did not fund the creation or production of any videos or media” and “only funded the airing of preexisting media.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was pressed during an appearance Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on whether the taxpayer dollars would be refunded.

“Anytime we can do a public service announcement and brag about America, I’m all about it,” Mullin said, taking aim at negative coverage of the Trump administration as he pointed to success in securing the border and lowering fentanyl-related deaths.

“We should be bragging about what’s happening inside America,” he said, adding, “I commend the opportunity of President Trump to give us the opportunity to brag about America.”

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

The-CNN-Wire
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