GOP to spend more than $1 million on ads praising Trump’s coronavirus response

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is spending more than $1 million on a digital ad campaign lauding President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The RNC’s ad blitz is set to launch on Monday and will continue through May 4. The goal is to target independent voters and moderate Democrats in more than a dozen battleground states who the RNC has identified as swing voters.

The seven-figure investment comes as Trump has faced an onslaught of criticism over his handling of the outbreak from liberal groups, which have dropped millions of dollars on ads targeting the president. 

The largest Democratic super PAC, Priorities USA, last month launched a $6 million ad blitz in four critical swing states — Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — hitting the president over his early response to the coronavirus outbreak and praising former Vice President Joe Biden as “better prepared” to take on such a challenge as president.

The RNC’s ad campaign will seek to push back against that narrative. One spot features audio clips of California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newson and New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo talking up Trump’s handling of the pandemic. 

Richard Walters, the RNC chief of staff, said the digital ad blitz is intended to reach voters at home at a time when a majority of Americans are under stay-at-home orders. 

“Our latest ad buy further fuels our robust digital presence as we continue to meet voters where they are right now – online and in their homes,” he said in a statement. “The American people have seen President Trump respond to this crisis with unprecedented leadership, and they will respond with their votes in November.”