Trump and his supporters are free to think he was chosen by God. But the rest of us shouldn’t have to pay for this nonsense.
Smokey the Bear. Smoking cessation. Seatbelt safety.
These are some of the ways previous governments have used Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to inform Americans.
Not this one.
Ahead of next month’s midterm election, the Trump Administration developed and began broadcasting over a dozen ads promoting not public health or safety but the president and his politics.
One declares, “America will never be a communist country.” Another warns, “This is the final battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state.”
Then, there’s a three-minute video titled “God Made Trump,” which portrays the president as a messianic figure with a narrator declaring, “I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle the deep state, so God made Trump” to take on the “Marxists.”
At the bottom of the screen, in fine print: “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
Yep, your tax dollars at work, spreading the gospel of Trump.
According to The New York Times, the president “personally instructed his budget director [Russell Vought] to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency.” Vought dutifully diverted $20 million in Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection funds to a budget line called, “One Big Beautiful Bill Commemorative Events.”
Facing lawsuits and public backlash from both sides of the aisle, Trump announced Monday that his political action committee, MAGA, Inc., will foot the bill for future advertisements. How generous! Except the White House later clarified the super PAC won’t reimburse taxpayers for the ads that already aired at a cost of approximately $10 million, stating:
“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 ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country.”
Who received what President Trump called “U.S.A. money”?
The ad was produced by the Dilley Meme Team, which brands itself “Trump’s Online War Machine.” The group’s “Warlord & Master Troll,” Brenden Dilley is a far-right podcaster whose content is conspiratorial, sexist, racist, antisemitic, and anti-LGBTQ.
Dilley has said, “It doesn’t have to be true; it just has to go viral,” and admitted he will “make shit up” to further Trump’s agenda. What a reassuring standard for government-funded educational programming!
Now, here’s something I haven’t seen discussed nearly enough in the news this week: The “God Made Trump” ad isn’t even new. It first premiered in January 2024 in my home state of Iowa, just ahead of our famous caucuses, back when Trump was a candidate.
Two years later, he’s the president, and his administration has repackaged the same religious campaign ad as a “public service.” Doing so could be a violation of both the Hatch Act and anti-propaganda law.
Bottom line: Trump is free to think he was chosen by God. His supporters can believe that, too. But the rest of us shouldn’t have to pay for this nonsense. So, if the White House is actually interested in providing a public service, they can start by giving us our money back.
In solidarity,
Melina Cohen
Director of Strategic Communications & Policy Engagement
PS: We’ve already hit this administration with more than a dozen FOIA requests. Please donate now to help American Atheists continue exposing their misuse of public money and demanding accountability.
Colorado ended mandatory religious twelve-step programs for people on parole. No lawsuit, no law — just years of organizing.
U.S. service members swear an oath to a godless Constitution, not Christianity.
American Atheists is fighting to keep public education public, expose religious indoctrination, and defend students’ rights.
