Latest taxpayer-funded ad promotes Trump war with Iran

The Trump administration is airing another taxpayer-funded ad , this time touting the seven-month Iran war .

In the commercial, which ad-tracking firm Medium Buying shared Wednesday on social media, audio of President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plays in the background as U.S. military footage — including unclassified strikes — is displayed.

“This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States,” Trump remarked, referring to the Islamic Republic.

“If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on Earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation and we will kill you,” Hegseth said in the ad.

The Defense secretary added, “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it.”

The ad closes with the president saying, in the early days of the war, the Iranian people should “take over their government” when the U.S. concludes its military operation.

The Iran war, which Trump initially said would last roughly a month, hit the seven-month mark this week without any public sign of a lasting deal to end hostilities. Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a recent CNN/SSRS poll said the U.S. is not winning the conflict.

The ad includes a disclaimer that reads, “Paid for by the U.S. government,” making it one of multiple taxpayer-funded commercials the administration has aired in recent weeks.

One ad features Trump saying, “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America,” as the song “Love Me” by JMSN, whose name is Christian Berishaj, plays in the background.

The administration has reportedly diverted funding for the Department of Homeland Security to pay for the ads, which Senate Democrats rang alarm bells over on Wednesday.

Public officials cannot use taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes, as stipulated by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 .

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Monday the anti-communism message in one of the ads was “great,” but it should not be paid for using taxpayer dollars.

The White House has defended the clips, arguing in a Friday release they are “clearly not campaign ads” because the president is not on the ballot in November. Trump has instructed voters to “pretend” as if he were on the ballot in the midterms.

“Instead, the announcements are a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad,” the White House added. “That’s not partisanship — that’s a government that still believes in the country it serves.”

Trump also said Wednesday the ads are “for the spirit of the country” and do not promote a candidate.

“These are ads for the country. … I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.