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Politics214 outlets ran this3 min read

DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads

Critics question use of taxpayer funds for campaign-style messaging close to elections.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads

What this story says

  • The Department of Homeland Security used $20 million in taxpayer funds for campaign-style advertisements featuring President Donald Trump.
  • The funds were allocated through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, reportedly using money from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'.
  • Two Democratic senators have written to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers about the use of the funds.
  • The White House has defended the advertisements as public service announcements, while critics argue they are a misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Who covered it

Left 40%(64)Centre 51%(81)Right 9%(14)

Percentages are shares of the 159 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 55 of the 214 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

50/100

Craft

59/100

Hype

41/100

214 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 14 of the 159 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocated $20 million in taxpayer funds for advertisements that feature President Donald Trump. These ads, described as campaign-style and glorifying the president, have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. The funding reportedly came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and was drawn from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."

Democratic senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin requesting an explanation for the use of these funds. They questioned whether government funding was being used illegally for political ads and asked if additional funds would be used for similar advertisements. The White House has stated that the advertisements are public service announcements.

Disagreement on ad content and purpose

WBAL reported that the ads "glorifying President Donald Trump" have drawn widespread criticism from Republicans and Democrats as a "blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars that likely runs afoul of anti-propaganda law." The outlet also stated that the commercials "echo the GOP’s midterm election slogans, against imagery of Trump’s tenure in office." CNBC reported that the ads "feature Trump heavily, tout his tax cuts, attack communism and recycle language from his 2024 campaign." The White House, according to CNBC, defended the campaign as "educational and unapologetically patriotic."

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific amount of money spent on the ads over the past seven days, as reported by WBAL using data from AdImpact. None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention that the actual amount spent could be significantly more, depending on whether networks classified the ads as political, as reported by WBAL.

Tags:#DonaldTrump#DHS#TaxpayerMoney#CampaignAds#MidtermElections

Coverage settled. We checked this 14 times and stopped on 5 Oct 2026, 08:45. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

64 rated outlets

  • CNBC led on the story that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of DHS, funded pro‑Trump television ads with $20 million, citing the Wall Street Journal. abc News led on the same $20 million figure and the use of a DHS “commemorative events” account. Five digests, The Record, Hamilton Spectator, Seattle Times, PBS and El Paso Inc, also reported the $20 million allocation.
  • CNBC added that the $20 million contract was awarded to Maryland‑based LMD Agency for a “National Media Campaign” and noted that Democrats and at least one Republican senator questioned the spending. abc News reported a White House spokesperson describing the spots as public‑service announcements and cited an AdImpact estimate of $1.7 million spent on three ads.
  • All ten digests omitted the contract award to LMD Agency, the White House spokesperson’s comment, and the $1.7 million ad‑spending estimate. None of the digests mentioned the specific letters from Senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy, which appear only in the full reports from CNBC and abc News.

Centre

81 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated outlets reported that the Department of Homeland Security spent $20 million on ads featuring President Donald Trump. These reports stated the money came from funds designated for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was part of a larger bill passed in 2025.
  • WBAL and The Record reported that Republicans and Democrats criticised the ads as a misuse of taxpayer money and potentially illegal. WBAL quoted Democratic senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy, who sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers.
  • Deltaplex News and MyClallamCounty.com reported that the ads began airing after a contract was awarded to the LMD Agency. A White House spokesperson defended the commercials as educational and patriotic public service announcements.

Right

14 rated outlets

  • Right-rated outlets reported the Department of Homeland Security spent $20 million on ads. These reports stated the ads glorified President Trump and were paid for with taxpayer funds. The Washington Examiner noted the money was earmarked for Customs and Border Protection.
  • The digests from these outlets mentioned criticism of the spending. They stated Republicans and Democrats called it a misuse of taxpayer dollars. The Washington Times reported Democrats were questioning the government spending.
  • The digests did not mention the specific content of the ads beyond them promoting President Trump. They also did not name any specific individuals quoted in the reports.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads?
Of the 159 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 40% are rated left, 51% are rated centre, 9% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 214. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 159 rated outlets on this story, 40% are rated left, 51% are rated centre, 9% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads biased?
DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads is one event reported by 214 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered DHS spent $20 million on pro-Trump ads?
214 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
How much money was spent on the pro-Trump ads?
The Department of Homeland Security reportedly allocated $20 million in taxpayer funds for campaign-style advertisements featuring President Donald Trump. This funding was channeled through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Who is questioning the use of these funds?
Democratic senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy have sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers about the use of the $20 million in taxpayer funds for the advertisements.
What is the White House's response to the ads?
The White House has defended the advertisements, stating that they are public service announcements. They described the ad campaign as educational and patriotic, aimed at reminding Americans what makes their country worth defending.
What are the criticisms of the ads?
Critics argue that the ads may violate anti-propaganda laws and represent a misuse of taxpayer dollars, especially given their timing close to midterm elections. Some reports suggest the ads echo political slogans and feature the president heavily.

Read it at the source

214 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

64
Show 56 more

Centre

81
Show 73 more

Right

14
Show 6 more

Not rated

55
Show 47 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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