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Politics · October 13, 2026

DOJ apologizes after Trump campaign-style ad airs despite court order

3 sources →

The Department of Justice apologized to a federal court after taxpayer-funded advertisements featuring President Trump's agenda continued to air despite a judge's temporary restraining order. While the Trump administration was ordered to halt the $20 million campaign on Sunday, nearly 400 ad spots ran on Sunday night and several more on Monday. The DOJ attributed the delay to communication lags with their advertising vendor and stated they are now in compliance. The administration maintains the ads are not political, while plaintiffs argue they represent unlawful propaganda funded by taxpayers to influence electoral outcomes.

Read the original coverage

Reported across the spectrum

  • A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt a taxpayer-funded ad campaign featuring President Trump's agenda.
  • Nearly 400 ad spots aired on Sunday night after the court order took effect.
  • The DOJ apologized to the court and the plaintiffs for the continued airing of the ads.
  • The DOJ claimed the delay was due to when the advertising vendor received the order and when government counsel saw specific emails.
  • The ad campaign is valued at more than $20 million.
  • Judge Jennifer Rochon, who issued the order, is a Biden appointee.

Reported by only some outlets

  • The advertisement 'Final Battle' ran 193 times during 60 Minutes, and 'Maduro' ran 198 times during America's Funniest Home Videos.
  • Additional ads aired on Monday morning before the vendor halted them.
  • Trump claimed on Truth Social that he had decided to pay for the ads himself through his PAC, MAGA Inc.

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CadNews does not determine absolute truth or endorse political viewpoints. It compares publicly available reporting, identifies shared facts, highlights framing differences, and flags uncertainty.