Democrats should run this ad to challenge Trump’s credibility, performance, and reliability
To many voters (especially Republicans), President Donald J. Trump is honest; reliable; and a successful, self-made businessman. These perceptions give him credibility when he, respectively, responds to criticisms; makes promises; and talks about economic plans.
The reputation for honesty and candor comes from his willingness to make off-color remarks, which differentiates him from the stereotypical politician who seems to say whatever people want to hear.
The reputation for reliability comes from his touting his own administration’s record, while Democrats are more concerned with responding to Trump’s rhetoric and off-color remarks than about correcting Trump’s record on the issues that actually matter to the American public.
Here is an idea for an ad.
Overlay audio clips of Trump’s promises with screenshots of headlines about how news organizations reported events related to those promises.
Show an audio clip in which Trump promises: “I will always tell you the truth.” [:56-:59]
Overlay it with the headline, “President Trump Made 16,241 False or Misleading Claims in His First Three Years.”
Show an audio clip in which Trump vows, “I promise: We’re building the wall, and Mexico will pay for the wall. I promise.” [1:26–1:32]
Overlay it with the headline, “Trump flew into rage and shouted ‘Why the f**k would we do this?’ after Drudge Report said U.S. was PAYING Mexico $4.8 billion instead of collecting border wall money — as he told aides ‘This is the stupidest s**t you’ve ever done’ ”
Show the audio clip in which Trump says, “Coronavirus…This is their new hoax.” [1:00–1:01; 1:07–1:09]
Overlay it with the headline, “White House predicts 100,000 to 240,000 will die in US from coronavirus.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying, “The country is going to start growing and we’ll be up to 4 and even 5%.” [5:28–5:33]
Overlay it with a headline reporting that GDP growth slowed.
Show an audio clip of Trump’s promise to put coal miners back to work. [1:09–1:14]
Overlay it with the headline, “President Trump has yet to save the struggling coal industry, numbers show.”
Show the audio clip of Trump saying FBI Director James Comey showed “guts” for reopening the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton. [:04-:10]
Overlay it with a headline reporting his firing of Comey eased pressure from the investigation into Russian collusion.
Show an audio clip of Trump saying there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. [5:15–5:19]
Overlay it with a headline quoting Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani claiming, “I have never said there was no collusion” between Trump campaign and Russia. This is favorable because it depicts Trump as corrupt but also because it pushes back against voters who are under a vague impression that Trump has been unfairly targeted, as some commentators on FOX and Republican Congressmen have suggested.
Show an audio clip of Trump saying, “I have one of the world’s most complicated tax returns. It’s a massive return. But I will get it done as soon as I can.” [1:35–1:41]
Overlay it with the headline, “Donald Trump’s Changing Positions On Releasing His Taxes.”
Show an audio clip of Trump vowing not to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. [:00-:06]
Overlay it with the headline, “Trump Opens Door to Cuts to Medicare and Other Entitlement Cuts.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying, “We will cut many of the agencies. We will balance our budget.” [:11-:14]
Overlay it with the headline, “Donald Trump promised to eliminate the deficit in 8 years. So far, he has increased it by 68%.”
Show an audio clip of Trump vowing, “We are going to drain the swamp.” [:16-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Drain the Swamp? Spending on Washington lobbying rises to 9-year high.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Recording Shows That the Swamp Has Not Been Drained.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “‘Swampy symbiosis’: fossil fuel industry has more clout than ever under Trump; Lobbyists are giving millions to help Trump win in 2020, after reaping a regulatory windfall that benefited their bottom lines.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Some Republicans Object to Trump’s Ousting of State Department Watchdog.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Trump removes internal watchdog tasked with overseeing coronavirus relief funds.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Fired watchdog was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia.”
Show an audio clip of Trump saying just “drain the swamp.” [:18-:21]
Overlay it with the headline, “Trump’s slow-motion Friday night massacre of inspectors general.”
The remark about telling the truth should go first to communicate that the ad is a referendum on Trump’s honesty.
It is not necessary for voters to be able to have sufficient time to read all of these headlines — only that they get the idea that these headlines are reflecting that the promises were unkept.
Therefore, it is best to put among the first the promises that were most famously broken: the Mexico wall and the coronavirus hoax claim.
This ad would:
1) reduce Trump’s credibility, thereby impairing his ability to respond to criticisms.
2) depict his administration as a failure on issues that are important to the American public, such as the economy and national security (the coronavirus is a national security issue).
3) reduce his ability to galvanize voters by making promises about the future.