Trump now turning out fake ads
Those of us who thought we could sleep easy at night knowing there won无毛视频檛 be another presidential election for the next three-and-a-half years were wrong.
The 2020 presidential campaign, it seems, has already begun.
Last week, President Trump fired the first salvo in what appears to be his bid for re-election.
It无毛视频檚 only 1,282 days before election day 2020, so Mr. Trump has decided to get a head start by hitting the airwaves with campaign ads.
He simply can无毛视频檛 help himself.
His addiction to perpetually campaigning is a pre-existing condition, for which there无毛视频檚 no known cure.
Ask him anything about anything, and he无毛视频檒l tell you he won his 无毛视频渇irst无毛视频� presidential campaign by a landslide.
So, why not tout his 100-day 无毛视频渁ccomplishments,无毛视频� with a $1.5 million campaign ad?
That ad, just like the man it无毛视频檚 about, stretches the truth beyond credulity.
First, within hours of it hitting the airwaves, the initial ad had to be pulled.
It seems it contained the image of Trump无毛视频檚 National Security Advisor, Lt. General 无毛视频淗.R.无毛视频� McMaster.
Unfortunately, McMaster appeared in his military uniform.
That无毛视频檚 a clear violation of Pentagon rules, because there无毛视频檚 a bar against people in military uniforms appearing in campaign ads.
Trump was probably unaware of that rule. I wonder why McMaster didn无毛视频檛 know about it either.
After that initial ad disappeared, a new one, minus the military garbed McMaster, replaced it.
That was only a minor problem with the ad.
The claims within it range from the hilarious to the downright ridiculous.
The ad无毛视频檚 narrator claims, in his breathless baritone, that 无毛视频淎merica has never seen such success,无毛视频� as in Trump无毛视频檚 first 100 days in office.
I object.
What success?
He无毛视频檚 had two travel bans blocked by several federal courts; he failed to get anybody willing to pay for that blasted border wall; he无毛视频檚 not made good on his promise to restrict federal funding for sanctuary cities; and his plan to 无毛视频渞epeal and replace无毛视频� Obamacare is looking more and more like Obamacare-lite.
And if, as the narrator claims, 无毛视频淎merica has never seen such success,无毛视频� then why hasn无毛视频檛 America responded?
According to Gallup polling, Trump无毛视频檚 first 100 days in the White House has produced the lowest job approval numbers of any president since Gallup started taking note of them back in 1953.
And worse, every president, except for Trump, has had much higher job approval numbers compared to their job disapproval numbers during their first three months in office.
For instance, the difference between President Obama无毛视频檚 job approval and his job disapproval was plus 36 percent.
Trump无毛视频檚 is minus 13 percent.
Back to that ad.
When the announcer proclaims that Trump has the 无毛视频淏iggest tax cut plan in history,无毛视频� the graphic on the screen says the 无毛视频淏iggest tax cut in history.无毛视频�
Trump is leading, by misleading.
And let无毛视频檚 face it, there无毛视频檚 not the slightest chance that the cuts he无毛视频檚 proposing will survive any form of congressional approval.
Then there无毛视频檚 the ad无毛视频檚 phony claim that 无毛视频渃ompanies are investing in American jobs again,无毛视频� while the onscreen graphic says 无毛视频淔ACT: 500,000+ JOBS CREATED.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 not a 无毛视频淔ACT.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 really a clever bit of Trumpian sleight-of-hand.
Those numbers included January jobs created. Mr. Trump didn无毛视频檛 take office until Jan. 20. He无毛视频檚 taking credit for jobs that were created under President Obama.
The FACT is that 317,000 jobs have been created since Trump took over.
And to imply that job growth started on Jan. 20, after it stagnated under Obama, is a complete fib.
As of March, the economy has experienced 77 straight months of labor increases.
All but two of those months were under Obama.
What Trump campaign ad would be complete without a cheap shot? Up pop the words 无毛视频淔AKE NEWS无毛视频� to highlight that Trump无毛视频檚 无毛视频渢ax cuts无毛视频� are being disregarded by media.
That无毛视频檚 a self-defeating proposition.
If the Trump 无毛视频渃ampaign无毛视频� wants to place those ads on mainstream media outlets, somebody should have realized they无毛视频檇 refuse to run ads that accuse them of being 无毛视频淔AKE NEWS.无毛视频�
Self-realization isn无毛视频檛 Trump无毛视频檚 Trump card.
Edward A. Owens is a three time Emmy Award winner and 20-year veteran of television news. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.