Bernie Sanders has demanded the removal of a federal television spot praising the sitting president just weeks before the midterms. The 30 second advertisement, which cost $430,000 in taxpayer money and aired on Fox News in major markets, depicts President Trump with a singing choir and references the defeat of communism. Sanders described the broadcast, which began 38 days before the election, as an illegal act of authoritarianism.

The White House defended the ad as a nonpartisan public service announcement, asserting that patriotism is not partisan. A Senate investigation is now examining whether the expenditure violated federal prohibitions against using government funds for propaganda. While designed for domestic audiences, reports from viewers in Germany indicate the content appeared on international televisions.