Up until mid-August, the Donald Trump campaign was outspent by the Hillary Clinton campaign on the television airwaves $61 million to zero. Finally, Trump has entered the ad arena, with a $4 million buy for a spot emphasizing his signature issue of an immigration crackdown.
Undocumented immigrants who complete jail sentences are subject to deportation, but deportation cases are handled separately and often aren't resolved upon release from jail. Also undocumented immigrants typically use unauthorized Social Security numbers to work, so they pay into the system, but can't receive benefits, though it is possible to access benefits if they eventually attain legal status.
But despite those subtle general election moves, Trump's first ad sticks with the issue that brought him to the Republican nomination, betting that a majority of Americans blames immigrants and refugees for what ails them.
Is The System Rigged For Refugees?
The ad's narrator begins by cribbing from Bernie Sanders' rhetoric: "In Hillary Clinton's America, the system stays rigged against Americans." But Trump is not pointing the finger at multinational corporations, but refugees and immigrants. The system "stays rigged" so "Syrian refugees flood in" and "illegal immigrants convicted of committing crimes get to stay, collecting Social Security benefits, skipping the line."Undocumented immigrants who complete jail sentences are subject to deportation, but deportation cases are handled separately and often aren't resolved upon release from jail. Also undocumented immigrants typically use unauthorized Social Security numbers to work, so they pay into the system, but can't receive benefits, though it is possible to access benefits if they eventually attain legal status.
Where's Trump's Wall?
The ad shifts to depict "Donald Trump's America" which is "secure." As border patrol helicopters and trucks swarm across the desert, the narrator assures, "Terrorists and dangerous criminals kept out. The border secure. Our families safe." Notably, there is no mention of building a border wall, Trump's signature solution, suggesting that Trump's political consultants don't believe the idea sells with swing voters. The ad also makes sure to show a happy African-American family under a front porch American flag, in an attempt to reach beyond Trump's white base.But despite those subtle general election moves, Trump's first ad sticks with the issue that brought him to the Republican nomination, betting that a majority of Americans blames immigrants and refugees for what ails them.