The super PAC supporting Donald J. Trump for President is running a shocking TV ad ahead of the State of the Union address, mocking President Biden’s stance on questions about his memory and even questioning his life span, in a preview of the general’s tenor. elections ahead.
The ad, titled “Jugular,” aired on MSNBC Thursday morning during one of Mr. Biden’s favorite shows, “Morning Joe,” at 6 a.m. It will be broadcast nationally throughout the day and Friday morning on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and Newsmax, according to the super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. The size of the two-day ad purchase was not immediately clear.
The spot appeared designed to try to get under Mr. Biden’s skin at a pivotal time as he prepares to deliver the State of the Union and faces low job approval ratings from his predecessor, Mr. Trump. The ad focuses on an issue that Mr. Biden and his allies have expressed frustration with — questions about his age.
At 81, Mr. Biden is America’s oldest president. Mr. Trump is 77 years old.
Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Mr. Biden’s campaign, called the ad “a sick and disorganized stunt by a delirious and anxious campaign that cannot defend Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion, separate families , increasing costs for the middle class. to abolish health care and sow chaos and division.”
He added that Mr. Trump tried the same strategy four years ago and was beaten by Mr. Biden. Mr. Trump, he said, “will have to tune in tonight with tens of millions of Americans to see why President Biden will beat him again this November.”
A report by the special counsel, Robert Hurr, who was investigating Mr. Biden’s possession of classified documents at his home after serving as vice president, angered the president’s allies with what they called gratuitous descriptions of his difficulty remembering certain events and details. Among them, according to Mr. Hurr, was when Biden’s oldest son, Beau, died, a statement that Biden allies pushed back on.
The ad uses footage of Mr. Biden responding to that report at a White House press conference, during which he appeared visibly angry and agitated at times. The ad says people understand Mr Biden’s “weakness” and adds: “Can Biden even survive 2029?” He then asks, over footage of Vice President Kamala Harris laughing and Mr Biden falling down the stairs while boarding Air Force One, “Can we?”
The tactic of running ads for a president to see has been used to reach Mr. Trump, particularly when opponents hoped to force him to react. Among those using the tactic was the Lincoln Project, the Republican anti-Trump group. And Trump has had his own verbal stumbles, including confusing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley, his former primary rival, and calling Biden “Obama” in recent speeches.
But this particular point focuses on what Democrats, some of Mr. Biden’s allies and some voters have raised as concerns as Mr. Trump seeks to frame the terms of the general election for voters as terms of “strength” versus ” weakness.”
“Biden is weak and America is suffering because of it,” said Taylor Budowitz, CEO of MAGA Inc. “Tonight’s State of the Union won’t silence those waiting in the wings from laughing every time Joe Biden stumbles or stumbles.”
