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President’s re-election campaign off to early start with new TV ad

United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released its first television advertisement on Sunday (US local time), a 30-second spot that attacks Democrats and touts the accomplishments of his first seven months in office.

United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released its first television advertisement on Sunday (US local time), a 30-second spot that attacks Democrats and touts the accomplishments of his first seven months in office.

The ad’s release came amid intense criticism of Mr Trump’s response to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a planned rally by white supremacists led to violence that killed a counter-protester.

Speaking on Saturday from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump stopped short of calling the demonstrators “white supremacists” and instead criticised groups on “many sides”. Even members of his own Republican Party said he had failed to adequately condemn those behind the violence.

The new advertisement uses the same video clips, still images and font as one released earlier this year by America First Policies, a political group that is able to secretly raise and spend unlimited sums of money. Mr Trump’s campaign and America First Policies are prohibited by law from coordinating with each other.

Mr Trump filed for re-election the day he took office, an unusual move that has allowed him to begin campaigning long before the November 2020 election.

Historically, incumbent presidents have waited two years, until after the mid-term elections, to file formally.

The ad says that Mr Trump has created jobs and helped the stock market since taking office.

“The president’s enemies don’t want him to succeed, but Americans are saying: ‘Let President Trump do his job,’” the advertisement states.

Mr Trump continues to struggle with low approval numbers, and the television ad could be an attempt to bolster his support. REUTERS

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