Inside a Trump Ad Saying Harris Will Raise Taxes and He Will Cut Them

A blunt argument hitting voters in the wallet, and a deceptive truncation of a quotation from The Times, pack a wallop.

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Donald J. Trump’s campaign plans to spend millions on this anti-Harris ad, using a truncated quote from a New York Times article: “Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.”

Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign has aired this 30-second ad on television stations in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week at a cost, so far, of more than $450,000, according to AdImpact.

Here’s a look at the ad, its accuracy and its major takeaway.

On the Screen

Like most Trump campaign ads, this one opens with an stern-looking photo of Vice President Kamala Harris. Bold text appears on the screen beside her. It’s The New York Times logo, a mark of authority, over a fragment of a sentence from an article published on Aug. 22.

“Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes,” reads the male narrator, underscored by ominous-sounding music.

A video — helpfully subtitled — shows Ms. Harris saying, “Taxes are gonna have to go up.” (It will be replayed seconds later.) No context is provided about whose taxes will have to go up. More unflattering photos appear of Ms. Harris bearing a pained expression, smiling alongside the unpopular President Biden, and seeming to smirk.

The ad closes by contrasting Ms. Harris unfavorably with her opponent. The tone of the music shifts from ominous to triumphant. Video shows Mr. Trump purposefully striding through a corridor in the Capitol as president, wearing a hard hat, touring a factory floor and shaking hands with fast-food workers. The narrator cites three of the most populist tax proposals from Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign: “No taxes on tips, overtime or Social Security.”

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