Waste of the Day: TV Ads Thank Trump for Border Control
Topline: President Donald Trump has taken significant steps to secure the border and curb illegal immigration, but now he is taking a victory lap with the use of public funds.
The Department of Homeland Security has committed to spending $180 million on “advertising and media support” about the “national emergency at the southern border.” Axios reports that $51 million has already been paid for TV ads praising Trump for “putting America first.”
The $51 million expense means Trump has spent more on political ads than any politician in the country this year, according to Axios. Never mind the fact he is not running for office, and never mind the fact that taxpayers will be billed for every penny.
Key facts: Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Axios, “[T]his isn’t a political ad — this is a public service announcement urging illegal aliens to leave.”
Her statement is questionable at best. “President Trump” is the most-used phrase across the ads, according to Axios, and three of them use the sentence “Thank you, President Donald J. Trump.” At least one ad criticizes the “weak leadership” that “left our borders wide open” — presumably a dig at Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
The ads are narrated by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and feature images of Trump signing executive orders and flying on Air Force One.
The advertising contracts were awarded to People Who Think and Safe America Media beginning this February. Such contracts must go through a competitive bidding process, but DHS ignored the rules by claiming there was an “unusual and compelling urgency” to find an advertising firm quickly, according to Axios.
Separately, the two companies received another $40 million to run recruitment campaigns for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
People Who Think is owned by Jay Connaughton, a political consultant and media advisor from Trump’s 2016 campaign. Safe America Media formed its LLC just days before the contract was awarded, according to the Associated Press. Its address is a property in Delaware owned by Republican consultant Mike McElwain.
Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Supporting quote: At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Noem said Trump told her “‘I want the first ad, I want you to thank me. I want you to thank me for closing the border.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir. I will thank you for closing the border.’ ”
Summary: Every dime the government spends on ads about Trump’s stance on illegal immigration is money that could be spent on actual border security.
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