Congressional Democrats are accusing the White House of illegally spending taxpayer money on political messaging after it released a government-funded "public service announcement" that is nearly identical to a Trump 2024 campaign ad, according to NBC News.

The new spot shows President Trump walking down a hallway urging viewers to join him to "expel the warmongers from our government." The footage and script track almost frame-for-frame with an ad Trump posted to Truth Social in January 2024 during his campaign — the only substantive difference being the closing tag, which swaps the original's "Join President Trump's fight to save America" campaign branding for "Paid for by the U.S. government."

Democrats cry foul

House and Senate Democratic appropriators sent a letter last Friday calling the ad campaign an illegal misuse of federal funds, arguing that recycled campaign messaging dressed up as a PSA crosses the line into government-funded political advocacy, a distinction CNBC's report notes carries legal weight under rules barring taxpayer-funded electioneering.

THE PSAS ARE CLEARLY NOT POLITICAL — THE PRESIDENT IS NOT ON THE BALLOT

A White House official pushed back on the characterization, telling NBC News: "The PSAs are clearly not political. The president is not on the ballot, and the ads don't have a call to action." The administration has not said how much taxpayer money has been spent on the ad campaign or how many similar spots have aired, and CNN's coverage notes the controversy comes as both parties gear up messaging ahead of the midterms.

The dispute is likely to intensify scrutiny of how the administration uses official communications budgets in the run-up to the midterm elections, with Democrats signaling they may pursue further oversight action. No formal legal challenge had been filed as of Monday.