It was just a short spot during a first-quarter commercial break during Sunday night’s Super Bowl, but the criminal justice reform advertisement President Trump ran featuring Alice Johnson was brilliant. The commercial touted his criminal justice reform record, a rare bright spot where Trump truly has delivered what no other president in recent history could.
With the landmark, bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, the First Step Act, signed into law during his tenure, Trump can claim a major accomplishment heading into 2020. He’s right to make it into a prime-time Super Bowl advertisement, too, because support for criminal justice reform is bipartisan and spans voters from all walks of life and backgrounds. It’s a much better, more unifying issue to focus on for an event such as this than a highly divisive issue such as immigration or abortion.
The president tweeted the advertisement out in real-time as it aired, along with commentary, saying, “I promised to restore hope in America. That includes the least among us.” It was a powerful, unifying message and moment. A rarity for Trump, sure, but he deserves credit nonetheless.
Trump Super Bowl commercial on signing Criminal Justice Reform into law. Alice Johnson then protagonist. Smart.
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) February 2, 2020
I promised to restore hope in America. That includes the least among us. Together, let’s KEEP AMERICA GREAT!
Text TRUMP to 88022 if you liked our Super Bowl ad! pic.twitter.com/Lgjt53B7QX
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2020
The commercial focuses on Trump’s commutation of Johnson’s sentence. Johnson is a now-famous prisoner who faced a draconian life sentence for nonviolent drug crimes. This, unlike some of Trump’s other pardons and commutations — Sheriff Joe Arpaio, I’m looking at you — was one that deserves praise. Johnson was featured in the Super Bowl advertisement, and the sheer emotion of it rings true: President Trump truly gave her a second chance at life. For both that and his broader criminal justice reforms, he deserves major credit.
