Unethical, Illegal, and Unacceptable Misuse of Public Funds
by Winston Wendell
The Trump administration has crossed another bridge on its way to complete disaster by publicly displaying a campaign ad that utilizes taxpayer funds. The video, taken from Trump’s 2024 campaign, includes his usual insults at “villains” and “institutions.” This is not only shameful but illegal and ethically wrong.
According to the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot engage in any politics while on duty and misusing federal resources. Additionally, the Anti-Lobbying Act and appropriations acts state that it is illegal to use federal funds for “publicity or propaganda” for a candidate. In other words, Trump has officially been purchasing attack ads with taxpayer’s money.
This is an utterly unethical and completely corrupt practice, fueled by Trump’s vindictiveness and thirst for attention. The money paid by citizens for defense, roads, or public healthcare gets wasted on ad campaigns for political purposes. This public relations operation will damage the reputation of the government and the office of the president.
Such an unethical and corrupt action demonstrates Trump’s contempt for the rule of law and democratic norms in general. According to CREW, this latest scandal further illustrates the harm that can be done when the government engages in the kind of behavior. The Government Accountability Office already warned about the illegality of these actions. The President of the United States is not an executive for a private company. They should not turn their apparatus into a propaganda machine for their own electoral gain.
Donald Trump’s call to “nationalize the voting” is a direct assault on America’s state-run election system
Blue Press Journal
In a recent interview, President Donald Trump escalated his long-standing assault on U.S. election integrity by urging allies (Republicans) to “take over” the voting process in key states. His call for Republicans to “nationalize the voting” is not just inflammatory rhetoric; it is a direct challenge to the constitutional framework that has safeguarded American democracy for centuries.
This proposition is fundamentally at odds with the U.S. Constitution and represents a dangerous path toward the partisan manipulation of elections.
The Foundational Principle: State Control of Elections
The U.S. electoral system is intentionally decentralized. The Constitution, through the Tenth Amendment, reserves all powers not explicitly granted to the federal government to the states. This includes the administration of elections.
This state-level control is a feature, not a bug. It creates a robust system where a single point of failure or federal overreach cannot easily compromise a national election. As the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan law and policy institute, notes, this diffusion of power is a critical bulwark against centralized election manipulation.
Trump’s idea to “nationalize” this process would dismantle this structure, consolidating power in a way the Founders explicitly sought to avoid. It is an overt push for one political party to seize the machinery of democracy itself.
Debunked Claims Undermining Public Trust
This call to action is predicated on the repeatedly debunked “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen. The facts are clear and overwhelming:
Election officials from both parties certified the results.
Dozens of judges, including many appointed by Trump, dismissed over 60 lawsuits due to a lack of evidence.
Trump’s own Attorney General, William Barr, stated the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have altered the outcome.
Continuing to promote these falsehoods, as Trump does, severely erodes public trust. When a leader insists a system is rigged only when they lose, they lay the groundwork to justify seizing control of that system for their own benefit.
A Chilling Precedent for Federal Overreach
This is not a theoretical concern. The Trump administration previously tested the limits of federal power over state elections. In 2017, his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity attempted to compel states to turn over sensitive voter data. As reported by The New York Times, numerous states from both parties refused, citing significant privacy and federal overreach concerns.
This history reveals a consistent pattern: an attempt to centralize election control under a partisan banner, justified by baseless claims of fraud.
Why This is Bad for America
A move to nationalize or partisanly “take over” election administration would have devastating consequences:
Constitutional Crisis: It would ignite a legal battle between states and the federal government, destabilizing the very rule of law.
Loss of Legitimacy: Elections perceived as controlled by one party lose their legitimacy in the eyes of the losing side, leading to increased political instability.
Voter Suppression: Centralized, partisan control could lead to the systematic manipulation of voter rolls, polling place locations, and ballot counting to favor one party.
The integrity of U.S. elections depends on their impartial administration. Abandoning this principle for partisan gain doesn’t just risk losing an election—it risks losing the democratic system itself. Defending the decentralized, state-run model is essential to preserving a government of, by, and for the people.
