The Trump administration has produced at least 13 campaign-style advertisements as part of a controversial, multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded effort to promote President Donald Trump, according to new reporting from CNN. The disclosure comes as taxpayers angry about publicly funded ads that critics view as midterm campaigning for the president are given fresh cause for frustration.

CNN's Betsy Klein reported that the network obtained clips of 12 of the ads, which run from 15 seconds to three minutes and include two that have already aired. The clips appear in a Dropbox account, shared with CNN, operated by LMD, the agency awarded the government contract for the ad purchases. Each spot closes with the words 'Paid for by the U.S. Government' displayed at the bottom of the screen — a disclosure that directly ties the messaging to federal funds. A separate ad, 'Final Battle,' which does not appear in the Dropbox account, has also aired in recent weeks.

Among the spots that have not yet aired are three highlighting the U.S. military and operations in Iran and Venezuela. One is titled 'God Made Trump,' while another recaps the UFC fight Trump hosted at the White House. Whether and where the remaining spots reach airwaves ahead of the November midterm elections remains to seen.

The national ad buy featuring the president immediately drew criticism over laws prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for political advertising — restrictions intended to keep government resources out of partisan campaign messaging. According to NBC News, Trump did not alert agency administrators that their budgets would help cover the cost.

'They didn't sign off on it,' an official said of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaders. 'They were thinking, 'There's no way they're going to try to take the funding from CBP for those ads.''

The campaign has raised serious concerns among Democrats and Republicans alike — and even within Trump's own circle, with several advisers describing the initiative as potentially illegal and actively distancing themselves from it, according to a recent report.

Zeteo reported that Trump's allies and administration officials involved in discussions about the ads have described them as 'obviously illegal,' in the words of one senior Trump official. Another source close to the White House said they were approached about a role in the project but declined over legal concerns. 'It did not sound legal at all,' the individual said.

While each of the upcoming ads has a different theme, CNN reported that 'many of them include imagery of the president and audio with positive reviews from news reports, which is likely to intensify criticism that the campaign is using taxpayer dollars to help Trump personally.' The spots are also filled with patriotic imagery, including the cap toss at a military graduation, fireworks over Mount Rushmore, and military flyovers.