Trump Denies Approving $220 Million Border Security Advertising Campaign

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he did not authorize a $220 million national advertising campaign promoting border security that prominently featured former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. In a phone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump said he was unaware of the campaign and had not given approval for it.

The advertising campaign became a subject of scrutiny during congressional hearings earlier in the week, where lawmakers from both parties questioned Noem about the project’s cost and procurement process. The campaign included several television advertisements highlighting immigration enforcement efforts. In one of the most notable scenes, Noem appeared on horseback near Mount Rushmore in her home state of South Dakota.

During a Senate hearing, John Kennedy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, asked Noem whether Trump had approved the spending for the nationwide ads in which she played a prominent role. Noem responded that the campaign had been authorized and that all legal procedures had been followed. However, Trump later contradicted that statement, saying he had no prior knowledge of the initiative.

Shortly after speaking with Reuters, Trump announced on his social media platform that Noem would be replaced as head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma.

Further concerns were raised during a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives when Joe Neguse questioned the contracting process for the campaign. According to Neguse, the project was offered to only four companies rather than being opened through the standard competitive bidding procedure.