Congressman Kevin Kiley was once happy to have Donald Trump's endorsement.
Now his campaign is threatening legal action over a television advertisement that reminds voters about it.
Kiley's campaign has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sacramento television station ABC10, demanding that it stop airing a political advertisement connecting the congressman to President Donald Trump.
The dispute comes at an awkward moment for Kiley.
After years as a Republican, Kiley left the party in March and registered with no party preference. He is now running for reelection as an independent against Democrat Richard Pan in California's newly drawn 6th Congressional District.
As Kiley attempts to establish his independence from Trump and the Republican Party, his opponents are reminding voters that his political history tells a more complicated story.
Trump Called Kiley a “MAGA Champion”
The advertisement, titled “Duck,” was produced by 314 Action Fund, a political action committee supporting Pan.
Its message is straightforward.
“If it walks like a duck, it’s a duck,” the advertisement says.
It then reminds voters that Trump previously described Kiley as a “MAGA champion” and argues that changing his party registration doesn't erase that history.
There is no dispute that Trump endorsed Kiley.
During Kiley's first congressional campaign in 2022, Trump endorsed him and publicly described him as a “MAGA champion.”
Kiley subsequently won election to Congress as a Republican.
The relationship didn't end in 2022.
As recently as June 2025, Kiley's congressional office issued a press release celebrating Trump's endorsement of Kiley's “No Tax Dollars for Riots Act.”
Kiley personally thanked the president.
“I am grateful to President Trump for endorsing my bill,” Kiley said at the time.
Those are matters of public record.
But Kiley Says the Ad Crosses a Line
Kiley's complaint isn't that Trump never endorsed him.
Instead, his campaign argues that the advertisement uses old news footage in a way that could cause viewers to believe Trump has endorsed Kiley in the current 2026 election.
One portion of the advertisement includes archival television coverage in which a news anchor says that Trump “has endorsed Kevin Kiley in this race.”
That statement was accurate when the original news report aired during Kiley's 2022 campaign.
But it is being shown during his 2026 campaign.
Trump has not endorsed Kiley in the current race against Pan.
Kiley's campaign therefore argues that the advertisement creates a false impression and is defamatory.
The campaign has demanded that ABC10 stop broadcasting the advertisement in its current form and says it is considering legal action if the station refuses.
As of September 24, Kiley has threatened litigation but has not filed a lawsuit.
Kiley Is Trying to Establish a New Political Identity
The fight over the advertisement comes as Kiley attempts one of the most significant political repositionings of his career.
Kiley spent years as a Republican in the California Legislature before being elected to Congress as a Republican in 2022.
But in March 2026, he left the Republican Party and registered with no party preference.
Since then, Kiley has increasingly emphasized disagreements with Trump and Republican congressional leadership.
He has pointed to votes on immigration enforcement and Ukraine, among other issues, as evidence that he is willing to break with Republicans.
Kiley has also said that if he wins reelection in November, he will no longer caucus with the Republican Party.
That makes his previous relationship with Trump especially relevant to the political battle surrounding his campaign.
Kiley wants voters to evaluate the candidate he says he is today.
His opponents want voters to remember the Republican candidate he was when he first entered Congress.
The Historical Record Isn't in Dispute
The advertisement raises a legitimate question about presentation.
Using four-year-old news footage saying Trump endorsed Kiley “in this race” without making sufficiently clear that the footage concerns the 2022 election could leave viewers with the impression that Trump has endorsed Kiley in 2026.
Kiley disputes that implication, and his campaign is attempting to force the station to remove the advertisement because of it.
But the underlying history is considerably clearer.
Donald Trump endorsed Kevin Kiley.
Trump called Kiley a “MAGA champion.”
Kiley ran for Congress as a Republican.
Kiley accepted Trump's support.
And years later, Kiley publicly celebrated Trump's endorsement of legislation he introduced.
None of those facts depends on the disputed advertisement.
They are part of Kiley's own political record.
From Trump-Endorsed Republican to Independent
Kiley has every right to change his political affiliation.
Politicians can change their positions, disagree with former allies and leave political parties they no longer believe represent them.
Voters can decide for themselves how much weight to give those changes.
But becoming an independent doesn't erase what came before.
That is ultimately what this fight is about.
The legal dispute centers on whether an old television clip improperly suggests that Trump endorsed Kiley in this year's election.
The larger political dispute is over something much simpler:
How much should Kevin Kiley's past association with Donald Trump matter when voters evaluate the independent candidate he presents himself as today?
Kiley's campaign wants ABC10 to stop airing an advertisement that it says answers that question unfairly.
His opponents want voters to keep looking at the record.
And now a Sacramento television station is caught in the middle.