WASHINGTON — American taxpayers are funding campaign-style ads glorifying the greatness of President Donald Trump, while the White House defends them as “public service announcements.”

Federal law prohibits the use of public funds for “publicity or propaganda,” said former White House lawyer Norm Eisen, which Trump’s ad is openly violating. “This commercial is a shocking transgression of those legal provisions,” he said.

The 30-second spot features a montage of photos and video of Trump at various events, and starts with audio clips of him stating: “Together, we will defeat communism, socialism, and Marxism in America” and “America will never be a communist country” while that text appears in all capital letters. Trump’s claimed accomplishments ― “LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY,” which is false; “REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING,” which is also false; DEFEND LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE,” which fails to mention that he pardoned hundreds of convicted cop-beaters on his first day in office — then flash on the screen.

In the background is the repeated chorus “love me” from a song by the musician JMSN. It closes with an audio clip of Trump’s friend and donor Dana White, who runs the kick-fighting league Ultimate Fighting Championship, stating: “He is the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing is going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”

The ad is unprecedented in American history and meets the dictionary definition of state propaganda. Its airing was first pointed out in a social media post by longtime Florida journalist Jim DeFede, who said he saw it on the Fox News Channel in Miami in the 8 p.m. hour. It ran with the line “Paid for by the U.S. Government” on-screen for the final 10 seconds.

Maryland Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, a constitutional lawyer, said the ad on its face seems illegal. “This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes,” he said. “It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.”

It’s unclear where else it has run or will be running, which particular federal agency is paying for it, and how much it is costing taxpayers. Trump’s staff refused to answer any of those questions.

The White House, which constantly complains about news reports using anonymous sources, responded only on condition of anonymity. “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,” a spokesperson said.

White House officials argued the Trump ad is similar to previous White Houses’ public service ad campaigns, such as George W. Bush’s ads publicizing Medicare’s new drug benefit or Joe Biden’s ads encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against COVID.

“Donald Trump’s priorities are as clear as day: Trump first, Americans last. Just like his gilded vanity projects, Trump wants taxpayers to foot the bill for his campaign ads to promote his failed agenda that has left working people in the dust,” said Democratic National Committee spokesperson Kendall Witmer. “But let’s be clear: Americans are sick of coughing up the funds for Trump’s bullshit while he turns his back on them.”

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