Vice President JD Vance dismissed the controversy over the White House’s new slate of taxpayer-funded public service announcements on Monday, claiming there was nothing partisan about the dramatic, Trump-centric TV spots.

Asked if the ads were a good use of taxpayer dollars as he spoke to reporters Monday, Vance said the reportedly $20 million media blitz was a standard way of telling Americans what their government is up to.

“It’s part of actually, I think, living in a constitutional republic. You have to be honest with the American people about what you’re doing, about what’s going on, and part of doing that is getting out there and telling the message,” he said, comparing the commercials to promos for the Affordable Care Act that aired during President Barack Obama’s time in office.

The former Ohio senator and likely pick for the GOP’s 2028 presidential ticket went on to say that there was nothing “unusual or unorthodox” about the PSAs, which feature Trump vowing to “demolish the deep state” and “cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists.”

“They’re not partisan,” Vance contended. “It’s not like we’re advocating for a particular candidate. We’re trying to tell a story, I think, about how great the USA is.”

Trump used the same argument while defending the commercials during a press scrum last Wednesday.

“I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country,” he said, ignoring the fact that several ad spots are almost identical to videos he used during his 2024 presidential campaign.

The videos, which echo many of the president’s attacks on his political enemies, began airing across major networks in late September.

Denying that the ads are propaganda in a statement last month, a White House spokesperson said, “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.”