The Trump campaign spent $400,000 on largely pointless TV ads in DC just so the president and his allies would see them, report says
- The Trump campaign has been running ads in the DC area largely in the hope of alleviating the president's bad mood as he watches cable news, The Daily Beast reported.
- The outlet said that $400,000 with Fox, MSNBC, and CNN in the DC area, despite conventional wisdom that ad money is not well-spent in DC and should be directed to swing states.
- Trump has been visibly rattled in recent days by polls showing his ratings tanking in states key to his chances of reelection.
- He has also taken time out to attack ads by an anti-Trump PAC which were aired in DC specifically to get a rise out of him.
The Trump campaign placed a series of flattering ads on television channels they knew President Donald Trump would watch, in an attempt to quell anxieties about his election prospects, reported the Daily Beast.
The Beast, citing Federal Communications Commission records, said that Trump officials spent around $400,000 on the ads.
They mostly aired on Fox News, but also appeared on liberal-leaning CNN and MSNBC which the president is known to "hate watch."
The DC areas where viewers can see the ads are all solidly Democratic, and the chances of the ads playing a role in swaying voters are remote.
A campaign adviser and an individual close to the president told the Beast that the ads were actually aimed at a tiny audience — Trump himself, and those in his circle.
Tim Murtaugh, communication director for the Trump campaign, acknowledged in an email that the ads were meant for Trump allies rather than the general public, but stopped short of saying they were for the president personally.
In an email cited by the Beast, he said: "We want members of Congress and our DC-based surrogates to see the ads so they know our strong arguments for President Trump and against Joe Biden."
Trump has been rattled by recent polls showing his ratings slipping in several states key to his reelection prospects, which could provide a rationale for trying to boost his mood.
The slide comes amid widespread criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the anti-racism protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
Recent Republican ads have focused on portraying Trump as the president who will lead America's post-coronavirus economic resurgence.
They are also seeking to boost the morale of congressional Republicans in screening the ads.
Another factor was a series of ads that have provoked Trump's ire run by GOP anti-Trump PAC The Lincoln Project in prominent slots on Fox News in the DC area.
They include one called "Mourning in America" – featuring bleak images of unemployment queues and hospital wards overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients — that was specifically designed to unnerve the president.
The president even took time out to respond to one of their ads with a tweet proclaiming his achievements: "You see, these loser types don't care about 252 new Federal Judges, 2 great Supreme Court Justices, a rebuilt military, a protected 2nd Amendment, biggest EVER Tax & Regulation cuts, and much more."