Federal judge blocks Trump’s taxpayer-funded ad campaign hours before scheduled end

WASHINGTON, DC: A federal judge on Sunday, October 11, ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt further airings of taxpayer-funded advertisements promoting President Donald Trump's agenda, after the government spent approximately $19 million on the campaign.

District Judge Jennifer Rochon granted a temporary restraining order sought by plaintiffs, rejecting the administration's argument that the lawsuit had no substantial grounds because the scheduled advertising campaign was due to end that night. The ruling barred the government from continuing to use Department of Homeland Security funds for the challenged advertisements.

Judge orders immediate halt to Trump administration ads

Rochon, who serves in the Southern District of New York, ruled that the plaintiffs had established sufficient grounds for emergency relief. In her decision, she wrote that “Plaintiffs have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits, will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction, the balance of the equities tips in their favor, and an injunction serves the public interest.”

The order directed the administration to “cancel or cause to be cancelled” any further airing or dissemination of the advertisements, including spots scheduled to run on Sunday evening. It also prohibited the use of funds appropriated to the DHS to “develop, create, disseminate, place, distribute, publish, or air the challenged advertisements.”

The Justice Department had argued in a court filing that the campaign would not continue beyond Sunday, the same day as the court's decision.

A senior DHS official, Holly Mehringer, said in a sworn declaration that advertising company LMD Agency Inc had purchased media placements through October 11 at an approximate cost of $19 million. The department had instructed the company not to make additional purchases beyond that date, she said.

The advertisements appeared on television networks including CBS, CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Fox. The administration described them as public service announcements focused on border security.

Common Cause and Democrats challenge taxpayer-funded ad campaign

Common Cause, a government watchdog group, brought the lawsuit alongside Robert Hunter, a Democratic candidate for the Alabama state House, and a New York labor union and its political action committee. The Democratic National Committee filed a separate lawsuit challenging the advertising campaign.

The plaintiffs argued that the advertisements violated restrictions on using federal appropriations for propaganda or partisan communications. They also pointed to the campaign-style presentation of the videos, including one advertisement that critics said closely resembled a Trump campaign ad from 2024.

Following the ruling, the coalition welcomed the decision, saying that they “are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda.”

Trump faces questions over $19 million in taxpayer-funded ads

Last week, Trump had said that he would personally pay for the advertisements, using money raised for his super PAC, MAGA Inc. However, the ads continued airing after that statement.

A White House spokesperson subsequently said Trump did not plan to reimburse the government for the approximately $19 million already spent.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the campaign on Sunday, saying that “anytime we can do a public service announcement and brag about America, I'm all about it.” He added that “I commend the opportunity of President Trump to give us the opportunity to brag about America.”