Judge orders cancellation of Trump’s government-funded ads

A federal judge on Sunday told the Trump administration its new ads featuring the president are likely unlawful and must stop — including any set to be aired later in the day.

The administration had indicated the ad campaign is set to end on Sunday, so there was no need for the judge to intervene.

In a four-page order, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon found the dispute wasn’t moot and that the unions and others suing were likely to succeed in their challenge.

Rochon’s order requires the government to not disburse any more funds and cancel any remaining ad reservations, “including those placements for the evening of October 11.” She said her ruling took effect 6:45 p.m. EDT, and it lasts for two weeks.

Rochon is an appointee of former President Biden who serves in New York City.

The Trump administration launched the ad campaign promoting the president in the final weeks leading up to the midterm elections. One of the ads shows images and clips of Trump overlaid by quotes from recent speeches demeaning communism while also crediting himself for the largest tax cuts in history.

The campaign is paid for through funding earmarked for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In court filings, the administration indicated the ads have cost nearly $20 million.

The ads face multiple lawsuits, but Rochon’s ruling is the first known time that a judge has blocked them.

She oversees a suit brought by Common Cause, unions and an Alabama state house candidate. The Democratic National Committee and the party’s Wisconsin arm have also sued separately.

The challengers say the administration unlawfully repurposed funds Congress appropriated for another purpose and that the ads amount to improper use of taxpayer funds for “political propaganda.”

“We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda,” the plaintiffs reacted to Sunday’s ruling 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.”

The Trump administration told Rochon that the challengers had no right to sue, they improperly filed the suit in New York and that they wouldn’t face irreparable harm since the campaign is set to end Sunday. The government’s filing did not, however, focus on defending the actual legality of the ads.

The Hill has reached out to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson for comment.

“The Department has directed the Vendor not to make any additional media buys past October 11 and expects that the Vendor will submit its final invoice,” Holly Mehringer, who currently performs the duties of DHS’s CFO, wrote to the judge on Saturday.