A handful of Democratic groups targeted Donald Trump on Tuesday ahead of a press conference the billionaire used to tout the money he’s raised for veterans since launching his presidential campaign last June.
Hours before the presumptive Republican nominee was set to speak at Trump Tower, the Democratic National Committee released a new ad seeking to highlight his most controversial comments about veterans and raise questions about the money he claims to have raised for them.
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“Remember when he attacked John McCain?” the ad reads, before playing a clip of Trump mocking the Arizona senator’s war hero status.
The DNC ad suggests Trump “lied” about the $6 million he said he raised after skipping a GOP debate just before the Iowa caucuses to host a fundraiser for veterans’ causes. The billionaire’s campaign adjusted that figure earlier this month, and now claims that $5 million was raised, and that the candidate contributed $1 million of his own money.
“Trump’s lies about support for these organizations, comes after he repeatedly insulted veterans,” the DNC said in a statement.
“Don’t be fooled by Trump’s lies and insults against U.S. vets,” the ad reads.
In addition to the ad, several protesters gathered outside Trump’s Manhattan skyscraper Tuesday to protest his misleading comments about the contributions.
“Today … in front of Trump Tower in New York City, local New York veterans representing the #VetsVsHate movement and VoteVets will respond to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who throughout his campaign has used veterans as political props,” the left-leaning group Americans United for Change said in a statement Tuesday morning.
Trump repeatedly claimed the protesters were “sent” by his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, whose campaign released a series of statements and organized a national press call Tuesday to discuss the billionaire’s record on veterans’ issues.
“In January, Donald Trump skipped a debate to hold an event at which he boasted they had raised $6 million for veterans charities and organizations, including a $1 million personal donation from Trump himself,” read one statement from the former secretary of state’s campaign. “After securing the headlines he wanted, it became clear that Trump had not actually delivered on his claims.”
“Under mounting pressure after months of dodging questions about where the money had gone, lying, and failing to follow through on his own $1 million promise, he is set to finally answer those questions,” the Clinton campaign said of Trump’s press conference.
