The Trump-Vance campaign released an ad on Monday accusing the Democratic Party, led by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, of inciting violence. The ad came shortly after a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which the campaign attributes in part to hostile rhetoric from leading Democrats.
The ad opens with a 2018 clip of Harris joking about being stuck in an elevator with Trump during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Harris is heard saying, “Does one of us have to come out alive?” followed by her infamous laugh. The ad also highlights President Biden’s repeated comments about wanting to physically fight Trump.
The campaign goes on to feature other Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), accusing them of using inflammatory rhetoric that encourages violence against Trump.
In conjunction with the ad, the Trump-Vance campaign released a statement listing examples of how Democrats’ statements allegedly fueled the two assassination attempts on Trump. The campaign argued that such rhetoric, paired with biased media coverage, contributed to creating a dangerous environment for the former president.
Critics of the ad, including MSNBC’s MaddowBlog, dismissed the Trump campaign’s claims, referring to the assassination attempt as “apparent” and defending Harris’ statements as political criticism.
The Trump-Vance campaign continues to emphasize the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric, especially when directed toward conservatives. With the 2024 election approaching, the campaign is using these incidents to rally support against what it views as a double standard in political violence.
