Most Americans oppose Trump’s taxpayer-funded ‘golden age’ ads: Poll

Trump says he will pay for future s, but the White House says taxpayers will not be reimbursed for past ones.The Trump administration says its taxpayer-funded television s are about patriotism, reminding people why they should love the United States and why it is worth defending. But an overwhelming majority of Americans say they should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars.A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggested that 86 percent of Americans, including four out of five Republicans, believe it is inappropriate to use public money for election-related television s featuring US President Donald Trump or members of his cabinet.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump’s approval hits new low among Hispanic voters ahead of midtermslist 2 of 4Trump says Iran could ‘take’ San Diego, Los Angeles; draws cross-party irelist 3 of 4‘Bordering on angry’: The state of play as US midterms enter final monthlist 4 of 4‘We’ll decide’: Trump hints he may pay for US government-funded adsend of listThe poll comes as Trump says he will stop using taxpayer money to fund the s. On Monday, he said he would instead pay for them himself and with money raised by MAGA Inc, his political action committee.What remains unclear is whether he will reimburse taxpayers for s that have already aired. The White House said on Tuesday that the president would only pay for future s, but Trump later appeared to leave the door open to reimbursing the government, telling reporters, “The ads were really good. They were promotion for the country, done by many presidents before. So, we’ll decide.”The Trump administration faces mounting criticism about a number of government-funded s that have been airing in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, celebrating what they describe as a “golden age of America”.In one, a choir sings “love me” over a montage of Trump as he declares the US will “never be a communist country”. Another uses images of Mount Rushmore as Trump heralds a new “golden age of America”. The third is darker: Trump walks towards the camera in black and white, warning of a “final battle” against the “deep state” and other perceived enemies.