The View's Sara Haines Slams Donald Trump's Taxpayer-Funded Ads as 'Completely Inappropriate' and a 'Big Waste of Time'

The View co-host Sara Haines blasted a series of taxpayer-funded advertisements released by President Donald Trump ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, calling them "completely inappropriate" and a "big waste of time.”

The segment on the talk show’s Monday, September 28 episode, focused on a new taxpayer-funded ad campaign where Trump promises to "cast out the Communists" and "demolish the deep state.”

The panel questioned the legality and ethics of using public funds for political messaging, drawing a parallel to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was recently dismissed following public backlash over spending $200 million in taxpayer money on department ads.

Reacting to the use of public funds, Haines joked, "Well, where is DOGE when you need it?"— referencing Elon Musk’s former Department of Government Efficiency, an agency created to cut frivolous federal spending.

Haines argued that the administration is trying to rebrand campaign-style messaging as a public service announcement. She remarked, "They're calling it a public service announcement, but what's the service to the public? Because this is like a pump-up ad."

Haines added that the administration cannot use advertising to force citizens into feeling good about the economy, stating, "You can't advertise the feelings people are having at their dinner tables out of them by saying, 'No, no, no, things are really going well.' And the way to really p--- them off is to make them buy the ads that say, 'No, no, no, we're fine.'"

The ad campaign has drawn condemnation beyond the talk show, with several GOP lawmakers criticizing the use of public tax dollars to bolster the president's agenda immediately before an election cycle.

The taxpayer-funded advertisement campaign has triggered an unexpected internal revolt from prominent Senate and House Republicans. While many of these lawmakers say they agree with the president's political messaging, they are fiercely objecting to using public funds to advance a personal political agenda right before the midterm elections.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) led the pushback by telling reporters, “It’s a great message, I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for by taxpayer dollars.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told Face the Nation that the spots amount to a conflict of interest: “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump... should spend public money on private ads for themselves.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) outright labeled the ads “inappropriate” and went so far as to compare the administration's use of taxpayer money to the tactics of far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Vocal Trump critic Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the most brutal, saying on social media that running ominous campaign ads using public dollars "is completely legal… in banana republics."

The White House blasted the criticism, saying the Orwellian ad was a “public service announcement.”

"These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad. The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country," said a spokesperson.