Donald Trump’s continued disregard for safety measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus – even after contracting Covid-19 himself – is the subject of two damning news ads from groups on both sides of the aisle.
A video released by Republican Voters Against Trump on Friday pours scorn on Trump’s claim that he’s “better” and perhaps now immune, following his release from the hospital on Monday, after just three days of treatment.
The clip features footage of some of the events that Trump has hosted amid the pandemic – many of which have been attended by maskless supporters – and ends with a stark reminder of the more than 210,000 Americans who have died after contracting the virus.
Check out the video here:
The progressive political action committee (PAC) MeidasTouch, meanwhile, urged voters to “get rid of the Trump virus” with its ad that contrasts the prominent Republicans who have tested positive for Covid-19 after ignoring safety measures with the American workers who have contracted the virus and don’t have top-level medical care.
Check out that video here:
Combined, the two videos have more than 1m views on social media, but it’s unclear if these kind of viral clips (that seldom appear on television) have any effect on swing voters.
In his first on-screen interview since falling ill last week, Trump on Friday night claimed on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show that he felt “really good, really strong” and had been “medication-free” for the eight previous hours.
Trump avoided answering a question about whether he’d been tested earlier in the day by saying, “I have been retested and I haven’t even found out numbers or anything yet. I’m at either the bottom of the scale or free.”
Amid fears that he may still be contagious, the president plans to hold an in-person event for hundreds of guests at the White House on Saturday.