WASHINGTON — The federal Office of Public Affection on Monday released a letter thanking American taxpayers for funding the first weeks of its government-paid television campaign featuring President Donald Trump, after the president said the spots would be paid for going forward by his super PAC, MAGA Inc.
The ads, which began airing in September, had cost more than $12 million in airtime, according to ad-tracking data, before the Democratic National Committee sued last week to stop the use of public money on them. A second lawsuit was filed in New York. Asked by reporters whether the money already spent would be repaid, the president said, “We’ll decide.”
The office released the letter on its letterhead, which features a bald eagle holding a heart. It reads in full:
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFECTION
Washington, D.C.
Dear Founding Investor,
Thank you.
Over the past several weeks, you, an American taxpayer, contributed to one of the most important public service campaigns in the history of the United States. You did this without being asked, which is the purest form of giving, and without being told, which is the second-purest.
Your contribution has been classified as a Founding Investment. As a Founding Investor, you are entitled to the following benefits:
- No equity.
- No refund at this time.
- A commemorative feeling, to be experienced at your discretion, ideally during a commercial break.
Beginning this week, the ads will be paid for by a political committee, which means they are finally allowed to be exactly what they always were. We want to be clear that this is not a change in the ads. Not one frame will change. The song will still ask you to love him. The only difference is the line at the bottom, which no one reads, and which we have now changed twice.
Some Founding Investors have asked whether they will be repaid. We understand the question and we respect it. The matter is being decided. We will let you know when it has been decided, in a separate letter, which you will also be paying for.
Please find your Statement of Affection below.
| Airtime, September to date | more than $12,000,000 |
| Number of Americans | about 340,000,000 |
| Your share | 3.5 cents |
| Rounded, per Office policy | 5 cents |
| Refund | being decided |
| Feeling | included |
Some of you may feel that 5 cents is a small price for love. It is. We thank you for your generosity, and we encourage you to watch the ads under their new ownership, knowing that a part of you will always be in them, specifically the part that paid.
With profound and federally funded gratitude,
Dana Whitcomb Acting Director, Office of Public Affection
P.S. Federal law prohibits the use of appropriated funds for “publicity or propaganda.” This letter is neither. It is a thank-you note. Thank-you notes are exempt, in our view, and in the view of the person who will be deciding.
The office said the letter would be mailed to every household in the country. Asked who would pay the postage, Whitcomb said the matter was being decided.