Donald Trump’s provocative first TV ad uses “xenophobia” and “fear mongering” to court supporters for the billionaire, according to the Democratic National Committee.
The Republican presidential front-runner’s 30-second ad, which is set to air in Iowa and New Hampshire beginning Tuesday, claims his proposals to temporarily bar non-American Muslims from entering the country and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border are the only way to “make America great again.”
But the DNC says Trump’s proposals “represent Republican Party values that would only serve to make America less safe.”
“Donald Trump is leading the GOP polls and leading the way for continued discrimination and xenophobia within his party,” DNC National press secretary Mark Paustenbach said in a statement Monday.
“Even worse, the rest of the Republican field has decided to follow suit,” he added, citing some Republican candidates who’ve expressed concerns about the Obama administration’s intake of Syrian refugees.
In a statement released Monday by his campaign, Trump said he is “very proud” of his first televised ad and plans to spend at least $2 million per week saturating the airwaves with his ads ahead of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.
“I don’t know if I need it, but I don’t want to take any chances because if I win we are going to Make America Great Again,” he said.
