Trump Posts New Videos on Social Media After Judge Blocks Taxpayer-Funded TV Ads

The White House posted six new videos about President Donald Trump in just 24 hours on YouTube and Truth Social. This happened after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop using taxpayer money to pay for TV ads that looked a lot like campaign commercials. The judge's order was meant to last 14 days while courts decide whether the ads broke the law.

The TV ads had been running on channels like ABC and CBS. Critics said the ads were paid for with government money but were really meant to help Trump and Republicans politically. Groups like the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Common Cause sued the administration over the ads, saying it was illegal to use public money for partisan — or one-sided political — advertising.

On Sunday, a federal judge in New York issued what is called a Temporary Restraining Order, or TRO. This legal tool told the Trump administration it could not use taxpayer funds to keep the TV ads on the air for at least 14 days. But on Monday, a new court filing said the ads had still appeared on TV several times after the order was issued.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York later explained that the government did not receive the court's order until Monday morning. Once officials got the message, they passed it on to the company that was sending out the ads. The company then stopped airing them, following the judge's order.

While the TV ads were paused, the White House posted new videos online. One video showed clips of Trump at speeches and rallies while a dramatic voice read part of a famous 1910 speech by President Theodore Roosevelt. The speech, called 'The Man in the Arena,' says that real credit goes to people who actually try — even if they fail — rather than to critics who sit on the sidelines.

Another video included a quote from Trump warning that anyone who steals from the American people will go to prison. A third video showed photos of Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, while Trump's voice said every single Democrat voted against his plan to stop taxing tips — money workers earn as tips from customers. Trump had promised during his campaign that he would end the tax on tips, and he later followed through on that promise.

The longest video was about one minute and thirty seconds long. In it, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller listed what he called the president's big achievements. He talked about trade deals, the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and efforts to make the border more secure.

The White House said the original TV ads were public service announcements, similar to ads that past presidents have used to share important information about health or safety. But lawmakers from both political parties pushed back, saying the ads were clearly partisan and therefore illegal. Trump said he would use money from his own political fundraising group to pay for the ads, but the White House later said taxpayers would not get back the money already spent.

A spokesperson for Common Cause, Abigail Bellows, told Newsweek that moving the videos from TV to YouTube did not fix the problem. She said the government should not spend public money to boost the president's image or help one party win elections. A court hearing about the DNC lawsuit was scheduled for October 15, where a judge would decide whether to make the ban on the ads permanent.