Taxpayer-funded ads featuring Trump are running nationally. Bipartisan lawmakers are asking if this violates rules about using public money for publicity. The answer is probably yes but nothing will happen because this is Washington and consequences died in 2008.
The ads are expanding. More markets. More airtime. More of your money going to broadcast Trump's face during an election year. Imagine paying for something you didn't order and can't return. Now imagine that thing is a political ad. Now imagine you're legally required to keep paying for it.
Both parties are scrutinizing this. Republicans and Democrats agree something smells wrong. When both sides of the aisle unite over anything in 2024, you know someone f*cked up spectacularly or found a loophole so obvious even Congress noticed.
The restriction exists for a reason. Taxpayers shouldn't fund campaign-adjacent messaging. Agencies aren't supposed to produce content that looks like electioneering. These are simple rules. A child could follow them. Apparently several government departments could not.
Retail traders will see these ads and think it signals a buying opportunity. They'll check their portfolios. They'll open their brokerage apps. They'll buy calls on something completely unrelated because they saw Trump on TV during Wheel of Fortune and their brain made a connection that doesn't exist.
The midterms are coming. The ads are spreading. The scrutiny is bipartisan. The odds of anyone facing real consequences remain at zero. This is the most predictable outcome since everyone knew your cousin Derek would lose his shirt on meme stocks but watched him do it anyway.
Somewhere a compliance officer is updating their résumé.
Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash
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