‘Part of living in a constitutional republic’: JD Vance defends Trump ads

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration’s taxpayer-funded television ads Monday, October 5, calling government messaging part of “living in a constitutional republic.”

The White House has labeled the commercials public announcements, while several prominent Republicans have argued that taxpayer money should not be used to fund ads featuring Trump.

Vance made the comments to reporters before departing for Alaska to campaign for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan as the ads draw scrutiny ahead of the midterm elections.

Vance defends taxpayer-funded Trump ads

Asked whether the ads were a good use of taxpayer dollars before the midterms, Vance pointed to government-funded messaging under previous administrations.

“Go back to the Obama administration with the Affordable Care Act, you have the people's government using tax dollars to advertise about what the government is doing,” Vance said. 

“It's part of actually, I think, living in a constitutional republic. You have to be honest with the American people about what you're doing, about what's going on,” he stated.

Vance added, “Part of that is getting out there and telling the message. So I don't think there's anything unusual or unorthodox about it.”

The White House said the ads are intended to promote patriotism and educate Americans.

A spokesperson told Newsweek, “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.”

The White House has also compared the commercials with government-funded messaging campaigns under George W Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as per the outlet.

Republicans challenge public funding while White House disputes characterization

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has backed the message while objecting to how it is funded. 

“It's a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Thune said.

Texas Sen John Cornyn similarly told the Hill, “We all know you're not supposed to use taxpayer money for that purpose.”

Louisiana Sen John Kennedy said on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’ that “no public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves.”

North Carolina Sen Thom Tillis called the advertisements “inappropriate,” while South Dakota Sen Mike Rounds said they were “not something that I would've done.” 

The White House disputes that characterization, saying, “The announcements are very clearly not campaign ads; President Donald Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action,” as per the outlet.

CBP funding raises separate questions

The dispute also includes questions about how some of the ads were funded. 

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Chris Murphy said it appeared DHS dedicated $20 million from CBP funding intended for “commemorative events relating to border security” to the advertising campaign. 

They asked DHS to disclose spending, contracts and whether government lawyers or ethics officials reviewed the arrangement, as per the outlet.

A DHS spokesperson told the outlet, “DHS follows all applicable rules for contracting decisions and keeps all decision makers informed. All contracting decisions are made in accordance with applicable law.”