The U.S. government spent nearly $22 million to air five television ads promoting President Donald Trump and his policies, with almost $10 million spent after Trump said a super PAC would pay for them, according to an analysis of advertising data released Oct. 12. The ads also continued airing for several hours after a federal judge ordered the government to cancel the placements, including those scheduled for the evening of Oct. 11. The spots aired hundreds of additional times into early Monday, the analysis found. A White House official said the government did not receive notice of the order in time to cancel the ad buys. The official said the last government-funded public service announcements aired Sunday evening and that outside groups would pay for them going forward. The White House has said taxpayer funds already spent on the ads would not be reimbursed. Trump announced on Truth Social on Oct. 5 that he had decided to pay for the ads through MAGA Inc., his super PAC, after defending the use of government money. He described the spots as patriotic advertising. But government-funded placements continued after his announcement. The five ads include a montage of Trump images, a spot that duplicates an ad from his 2024 campaign, and two promoting U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran. Each ends with an on-screen notice saying it was paid for by the U.S. government. The White House has called the spots public service announcements and said they promote patriotism, not a campaign. A lawsuit brought by Common Cause and other plaintiffs argues the spending lacked congressional approval and violated federal limits on taxpayer-funded publicity and propaganda. The judge’s temporary order directed the government to cancel arrangements for airing or distributing the challenged ads. The dispute comes weeks before the November midterm elections. The White House has argued the ads are not campaign-related because Trump is not running for office this year. Trump, however, has urged voters to treat the election as if he were on the ballot, while his low approval ratings have weighed on Republicans nationally. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 86% of respondents said it was inappropriate to use taxpayer funds for election-related television ads featuring the president or Cabinet members. That included 80% of Republicans.