A Democratic group’s attempt to hit President Trump over his coronavirus pandemic response with an internet meme ad strategy got traction on social media for the wrong reasons.
American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal super PAC, launched a six-figure digital campaign on Friday, targeting important swing state voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin online.
In addition to a 30-second video criticizing the White House incumbent for his decision to golf several times as COVID-19 cases continued to crop up around the country, the organization also released two memes, which are usually widely shared for free.
But one of the images, based on the so-called “jealous girlfriend” meme, was circulated on social media with a slew of mocking comments.
trump will never recover from this https://t.co/Gi8PrBd1zm
— joe perticone (@JoePerticone) April 10, 2020
trump gonna win https://t.co/AaCZue06xH
— David Mack (@davidmackau) April 10, 2020
Conservatives online have latched onto memes as a way to heap praise on Trump and disparage Democrats, such as 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the party’s presumptive 2020 standard-bearer Joe Biden.
American Bridge President Bradley Beychok defended the tactic in a statement Friday.
“These memes might make people chuckle, but Donald Trump’s handling of this crisis is deadly serious,” he wrote.
Beychok added, “With a constantly shifting media landscape, we recognize the need to pursue a multiprong approach to make the case to the voters and deny Donald Trump the margins needed for a second term. This innovative strategy is just the beginning with more to come.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign took issue with the underlying message, asserting that the president “acted early, appointing the task force that joins him at the briefings every day and restricting travel from China, both before the end of January.”
“He is keeping people informed about what their government is doing to protect their safety and safeguard the economy. And the people are responding,” spokesman Tim Murtaugh told the Washington Examiner.
