President Donald Trump's White House berated CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday after he flagged another political ad supporting Trump that ran during an NFL game.
Tapper was watching the Philadelphia Eagles against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday when a political advertisement for Trump that was "paid for by the U.S. Government" played on screen. Tapper videoed the ad and posted it on his X account.
"Blatantly political ad (taken from 2024 campaign speech) paid for by your/my tax dollars airs during [an] NFL game. Standards once eroded seldom are restored, so hope (sic) everyone is cool with this from now on," Tapper posted.
The Trump administration has been sharply criticized in recent weeks for releasing taxpayer-funded political advertisements. The administration and some conservative pundits have defended the ads by calling them "public service announcements," even though the ads clearly advocate for viewers to vote for Republicans in the midterms.
The "Rapid Response 47" X account, which is run by Trump administration communications professionals, lashed out at Tapper on X.
"Fake Tapper thinks patriotism is political. Government-funded Obamacare ads and Super Bowl ads were just fine, though," the account wrote.
That didn't stop some political analysts from defending Tapper for raising the issue.
"Trump is spending your tax dollars to glorify himself instead of lowering your gas prices, health insurance, or housing costs," Barbara Comstock, a former Democratic lawmaker from Virginia, posted on X. "And he’s also making millions every day grifting while making you pay more for everything."
"The absolute silence from Republicans who still claim to be the party of limited government and devotion to the Constitution is deafening and damning," Dave Thul, an Iraq War veteran, posted on X.