Trump's PAC won't pay taxpayers back for his ads

What they're saying: "The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money," Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening.

• "This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc," he wrote, referring to a super PAC affiliated with the president.

Worth noting: Federal law generally bars federal officeholders from directing spending decisions for super PACs.

Zoom in: When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson told Axios that Trump's announcement "was not referring to reimbursement."

Catch up quick: The White House previously defended the ads as "public service announcements" that are "clearly not political."

• The White House says the ads are instead meant to be patriotic, noting that Trump isn't on the ballot this year.
• Nonetheless, one such ad repurposes a nearly identical ad from Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, cutting it shorter and adding "Paid for by the U.S. government."

Zoom out: The ads, which have run on cable and network television, including during NFL games, have cost at least $11 million since September, according to an AdImpact analysis conducted by the AP.

• The spots were paid for through a $20 million Department of Homeland Security contract.

Go deeper: Scoop: Trump's hand-picked, taxpayer-funded ads about to ramp up