A key super PAC backing Kamala Harris makes use of a teacher’s narration and of video of Donald Trump promising to cut the taxes of people he calls “rich as hell.”
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Future Forward, the main super PAC backing Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, is running this 30-second ad, “Fight for Us,” on television stations in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania this week at a cost of $3.5 million, according to AdImpact.
On the Screen
The ad opens on a shot of a middle-aged white woman with a concerned expression on her face. She’s the narrator, and she identifies herself as a teacher. She is shown in her kitchen, unpacking groceries and looking at the receipt, opening her mail while seated at her dining table, and briefly speaking to the camera.
Video clips show the billionaires Elon Musk, in white tie, and Jeff Bezos followed by Donald J. Trump, both in black tie. Mr. Trump is then seen in a grainy video clip addressing a group of donors from a lectern at his Mar-a-Lago club, and, under the headline “Trump,” his words are subtitled: “I know 20 of you and you’re rich as hell,” and, “We are going to give you tax cuts.”
From there, the ad spins through clips of Ms. Harris giving a speech — “Kamala Harris: cut taxes for working people,” the first of several headlines mirroring the narration says — and greeting different kinds of American workers: in hard hats and bright yellow safety vests, in a kitchen, at an electrical workers’ union and elsewhere.
As Mr. Trump is seen in white golfing attire and a white “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, gold type tees up the ad’s conclusion: “Trump fights for billionaires like him.” And white type drives it home: “Kamala Harris fights for working people.”
Credit…Harris for President
The Script
Narrator
“No one becomes a teacher to get rich. But there are times when I’ve really struggled to get by. It makes me so mad that billionaires pay less in taxes than I do. I don’t want to pay more while they pay less. And Trump wants to give them even more breaks.”
Mr. Trump
“I know about 20 of you, and you’re rich as hell.”
Mr. Trump
“We are going to give you tax cuts —”
Narrator
“Kamala Harris will cut taxes for working people. And she’ll lower everyday costs by taking on price gouging. Trump fights for billionaires like him. Kamala fights for us.”
Accuracy
The ad makes no verifiable claims.
The Takeaway
Mr. Trump has long held an advantage on the economy, with many voters blaming the Biden administration for elevated housing and grocery prices. While inflation has fallen to more typical levels in recent months, many families are still struggling to adjust to prices that remain higher than prepandemic levels.
As the economy has improved, Ms. Harris has cut into Mr. Trump’s edge on the issue. This ad is an effort to expand those gains by casting the former president as more focused on enriching himself and his rich friends than ordinary American workers. It’s a message Democrats believe will resonate with swing voters who have expressed concerns over Mr. Trump’s temperament and character.
Lisa Lerer is a national political reporter for The Times, based in New York. She has covered American politics for nearly two decades. More about Lisa Lerer
See more on: Kamala Harris, 2024 Elections: News, Polls and Analysis, Donald Trump, U.S. Politics
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Source: nytimes.com
