In the days leading up to the Iowa Caucus, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has taken his message to the Internet for a last-minute blitz with a series of web videos. (Including even a how-to for first time caucus goers.)
A number of short videos have been posted on Trump’s Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accounts, rehashing his campaign-trail tested bromides in a straight-to-camera fashion, a definite improvement over his first ad — a narrated dud. It’s a strategy Trump has used to great effect before, though his older videos all seemed to have been unlisted from his official YouTube account, but are still hosted elsewhere, including on his Facebook page.
The most recent video features Trump discussing education, where he mentions his oft-cited statistic that America ranks 26th in the world in education, despite our very high per-pupil spending amounts. Having used Common Core as a bludgeon against Jeb! earlier in the campaign when he still registered as more than a blip in the polls, Trump uses this ad as a clarion call to stop Common Core and return schools to local control. That’s about as specific as Trump gets, other than to say “education will be an absolute priority.”
Monday, Trump came out with an attack on the media / special interests / donors(!?) / the establishment. The timing here is interesting because Trump’s new war with heel-nipping competitor Ted Cruz has resulted in opaque endorsements of Trump by establishment types who cannot stand Cruz. It’s an attempt by Trump to show that even with this vague notion of establishment support, he’s still not “one of them” and is an independent who “doesn’t owe anybody anything.” (Except many creditors over the years…) Naturally, Trump couldn’t resist leaving out the blatantly false line: “I’m self-funding my campaign.”
These ads are all fine and good at stirring up his supporters, and perhaps even appealing to undecideds. But the most devastating video was a direct attack on Ted Cruz on perhaps the strongest issue to voters who might be undecided in a Trump v. Cruz showdown: amnesty for illegal immigrants. The video features Cruz talking with Bret Baier on Fox News about the Gang of Eight bill — a red meat issue on the trail — and Cruz slips, telling Baier “of course I wanted the bill to pass….[inaudabile]… my amendment to pass…”
Cruz, a naturally gifted speaker and debater, made a slip, and then was put on the defensive by Baier. And when you’re explaining, you’re losing, as they say. Trump’s ad people framed it masterfully. Given the other attacks insinuating that Cruz is extremely calculated and slippery on his past regarding hot-button issues, is the ad enough to instill reasonable doubt and secure a Trump victory in Iowa? We’ll see.
You can watch the rest of his recent videos here.
