Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 189
Navigating the Nonsense
“President Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security,” the New York Times reports.
“The ads have run across cable and network television — on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, with football games on Fox and with national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, including ‘Meet the Press,’ which Mr. Trump is known to watch.”
“Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, turned heads Friday with his lesbian, fanfic-style campaign ad,” The Wrap reports.
“The Trump administration used federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security to finance a set of controversial pro-Trump advertisements that recently began airing on television,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The taxpayer money used to fund the ads that started airing last week came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an arm of DHS that oversees the Border Patrol and customs and immigration at airports.”
Paul Krugman: “Democrats — and everyone who believes in rule of law — are, rightly, outraged by the fact that the U.S. government just effectively reran a Trump campaign ad from 2024.”
“My guess is that they probably also hope that Trump runs more such ads, and not just as a basis for future prosecutions.”
“I mean, the ad reminds voters that Trump is effectively on the ballot, which is all to the good given his approval rating.”
CNN: Trump stirs new storm by posing as strongman in taxpayer-funded video.
“Amid a knockdown, drag-out fight for control of Congress, one issue is dominating advertising and transcending partisan divides, instead pitting challengers against incumbents: Everyone is running against members of Congress trading stocks,” NBC News reports.
“At least one TV or digital ad mentioning the issue has run in the last month in nearly every competitive race for Congress.”
For members: Affordability Meets Corruption
“President Donald Trump may be omnipresent in American politics, but one place you won’t find him during the midterm elections: starring in Republican TV ads,” CNN reports.
“A new CNN analysis shows that Trump is a bit player – often seldom mentioned at all – in a blitz of Republican messaging increasingly filling the airwaves in some of the biggest races of the year. Since the start of September, Democrats have been much more likely to invoke Trump’s name than Republicans.”
James Talarico (D) said his opponent, Ken Paxton (R), “is ‘lying to the people of Texas’ with a new AI advertisement that Talarico said puts ‘words in my mouth,'” CBS News reports.
Said Talarico: “When you look at this ad, they are using AI in order to mislead the people of this state, and that is completely consistent with a liar like Ken Paxton.”
“Elon Musk’s super PAC has entered the midterm campaign fray with a heavy dose of anti-trans messaging,” Axios reports.
“America PAC isn’t running a traditional persuasion campaign. It’s undertaking a massive get-out-the-vote operation, with targeted ads designed to get GOP voters to the polls.”
”The PAC is betting trans issues will do just that.”
“The fallout over the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes has emerged as a major issue in the midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.
“Candidates have hammered their opponents over whether they pushed to release the investigative files related to Mr. Epstein, and over their connections to donors and supporters associated with him. Over and over, they have issued a common refrain: They are running against the ‘Epstein class.'”
“The Supreme Court on Friday granted Republicans’ request to halt a lower court decision that prevented political party committees from receiving more favorable broadcast advertising rates, giving the GOP a win weeks before the November elections,” CBS News reports.
“The order from the high court restores guidance from the Federal Communications Commission that allows political parties and committees access to cheaper rates for political ads in the run-up to the midterms. The decision could be a boon for national Republican groups, which have amassed bigger war chests than their Democratic counterparts and can flood the airwaves with more ads in support of GOP candidates.”
Aaron Blake: “President Donald Trump’s extremely well-heeled political operation has begun an advertising campaign ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that Republicans have been eagerly awaiting.”
“But the first offerings focus on something decidedly unpopular: Trump himself.”
New York Times: “As more people spend time scrolling on their phones, campaigns view these shows of support from influencers as a vital way to reach voters. They are also significantly less expensive than traditional advertising.”
“But unlike campaign mailers, billboards and television spots, these messages fall into a legal gray area.”
“There are no federal regulations requiring disclosure of payments for political support on social media, and only a few states have such rules. That allows influencers, in most instances, to endorse candidates for a fee without ever disclosing those payments in their posts. Creators say some campaigns have even asked them to actively conceal the fact that they’re being compensated, making it impossible to know what’s genuine support — and what is pay-for-play.”
“National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local TV stations to respond in opposite ways to a new federal court ruling on political ad rates,” Axios reports.
“How they respond will have a major impact on the fight for control of Congress by deciding which party’s ad money goes further in the final stretch of the 2026 midterms.”
Peter Hamby: “As the next presidential race looms, Democratic operatives have begun studying how to reach less politically engaged swing voters on the platforms that may determine the next election—TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even ChatGPT.”
“And they’re already strategizing about how to leverage their search activity to create ads blaming Vance and Rubio for everything from high gas prices to contaminated lettuce.”
“In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson’s campaign ran a terrifying 60-second advertisement. It opens with a three-year-old girl in a field, pulling petals off a daisy while counting to ten. Then, a man’s voice begins a countdown, and a nuclear explosion fills the screen,” Mother Jones reports.
“The advertisement only aired once, but roughly 100 million people saw it… Now, a Super PAC acting on behalf of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senatorial campaign is using an AI-generated, Frankensteined version of Johnson’s video to push a different message.”
“In this version, instead of being wiped out by a nuclear bomb, the daisy girl—resurrected via generative AI—lies on an operating table in front of an AI-generated version of Texas Representative James Talarico.”
Said the narrator: “She dreams of growing up, falling in love, becoming a mother. The trans industry preys on confused children. Irreversible puberty blockers. Cross-sex hormones. Sex-change surgeries.”
“The most expensive political ad campaign of the year is being run by the Department of Homeland Security,” Axios reports.
“DHS disputes that its ads are political. But it has spent at least $51 million this year on ads thanking President Trump for securing the border, according to AdImpact.”
“The next closest ad campaign is the $41 million effort to support California’s redistricting measure.”
Wall Street Journal: “Since the inauguration, more than a dozen national issues-oriented groups bought broadcast and cable ads solely in Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach, according to data from ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And others with large national campaigns have set aside money to air ads there.”
“The activity since Trump took office has ranked West Palm Beach third among markets for national-focused issues spending on broadcast and cable TV, ahead of much-larger markets such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, according to AdImpact.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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