BETHLEHEM, Pa. — House Speaker Mike Johnson defended taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Donald Trump during a campaign visit Tuesday, even as he said it was “good” that the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. would pay for the ads going forward. Asked whether Trump should repay the public money already spent, Johnson did not answer directly, saying the president’s team was making decisions about the ads’ funding and content. Trump said Monday that he or a supportive super PAC would cover costs for the ads in the final weeks before the midterm elections. The pledge followed bipartisan criticism, including objections from some Republican candidates. Brinker Harding, the GOP nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, said the ads should not be funded by taxpayers. Johnson told reporters he had seen only one of the ads. It “looked like a public service announcement,” he said, describing its message as praise for the country and a recovering economy rather than an appeal to vote for a candidate. Democrats have argued that the ads may violate federal rules barring the use of public funds for publicity or propaganda. Johnson countered that Democratic administrations have also used public-service announcements, but did not address whether the Trump ads comply with federal law. Johnson spoke alongside Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican representing Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, at a law enforcement event in Bethlehem. He called Mackenzie’s race one of the country’s three most important contests and said it would be “enormously expensive.” The speaker also warned that a Democratic House majority would undo Republican economic policies and “empower our enemies around the world.” He is visiting seven states this week as Republicans campaign to retain control of Congress.