Technology·14 October 2026·1 min readTechnical readSource-backed

Trump commercial railing against his enemies kept airing after court blocked it

trump final battle ad 1152x648 1790710215 — Ars Technica

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Government-funded commercials promoting Donald Trump continued airing on television networks the day after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking them. US District Judge Jennifer Rochon ruled that the ads likely violate federal anti-propaganda laws. According to AdImpact data cited by plaintiffs, the commercials ran nearly 400 times after the order took effect at 6:45 pm on Sunday, October 11, including 32 times on Monday.

The spots aired on programs such as *60 Minutes* and *ABC World News Tonight*. The Trump administration had previously assured the court that the Department of Homeland Security ad buys would naturally expire on October 11 without renewal. After nonprofit advocacy groups notified the court of the noncompliance, US Attorney Jamie McDonald filed a status report apologizing for the delay.

McDonald explained that while the court emailed the restraining order Sunday evening, agency counsel did not read government counsel's forwarding email until Monday morning. The government stated it is now fully complying with the order. Judge Rochon scheduled a hearing to discuss further steps in the lawsuit, which was brought by Common Cause and other plaintiffs.

The underlying challenge contests $20 million in Department of Homeland Security ad purchases managed by U.S.

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SOURCE & ATTRIBUTION

Ars Technica

Original author: Jon Brodkin

Original publication: 14 October 2026 01:20

Read full story on Ars Technica ↗

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STORY TITLE:
Trump commercial railing against his enemies kept airing after court blocked it
SOURCE:
Ars Technica
ORIGINAL URL:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/10/trumps-taxpayer-funded-ads-kept-airing-on-tv-the-day-after-judge-blocked-them/

SOURCE EXCERPT:
US attorney apologized to court, said government has stopped running Trump ads.

Last updated 14 October 2026 03:58

Original sourceArs Technica ↗