President Donald Trump spent $10 million on a Super Bowl ad, and it has many questioning his motives.
Among the first advertisements for Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night was a 30-second clip crediting Trump for reuniting a Black family through his First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill.
Trump's ad features the formerly incarcerated Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense until Trump commuted her sentence in 2018. In 1996, Johnson was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Her case drew media attention for the high-profile celebs she had as advocates. Kim Kardashian West worked with Jared Kushner to persuade Trump to pardon Johnson. Politico reports that Trump's $10 million Super Bowl ad is a part of his reelection campaign to aggressively "woo Black voters." The president's campaign strategy also involves buying more ad space from Black-owned radio and newspapers.
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
Critics on social media were quick to point out Trump's hypocrisy in running a political campaign ad during the Super Bowl despite him be critical of the politicization of sports.
Imagine… Colin Kaepernick & every activist that put their life/livelihoods on the line for change can now see their message “neatly” bundled inside Donald Trump’s NFL ad… ????????????… its so silly & comical
— Kojo Ebro (@oldmanebro) February 3, 2020
The party that told Colin Kaepernick not to kneel and to not politicize football just paid over 5 million dollars for a 30 second Trump ad exploiting black people for votes.
— JayQwellin (@DarkCovfefe) February 2, 2020
“Don’t bring your politics into sports!” Trump screamed at black athletes while purchasing a million-dollar super bowl ad
— Jake Maccoby (@jdmaccoby) February 3, 2020
Trump has shown contempt for when Colin Kaepernick, a former player for the San Francisco 49ers, and Eric Reid, another 49er player, took a knee during the national anthem to protest against racism and police brutality.
During a rally with supporters in 2017 Trump said: "wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners when someone disrespects our flag to say, 'get that son of a b***h off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired.'"
Michael Bloomberg also ran an ad during the Super Bowl. Bloomberg's ad ran for 60 seconds and focused on gun control, reports the Wall Street Journal.
