Liberal super PAC attacks Trump’s coronavirus response with ads in key battlegrounds

The liberal super PAC American Bridge is launching a new round of television, radio and digital ads in three battleground states aimed at weakening President Trump among key groups that supported his 2016 White House bid.

The ads, which will run in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, are part of a $25 million campaign running through the end of August targeting rural voters and seniors.

One ad running in Pennsylvania features a man who says he voted for Trump in 2016 but who says he’s been let down by Trump’s presidency.

“Small businesses are really feeling the crunch right now,” the man says in the 30-second ad. “I’m talking about the average person trying to get by. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but I do not think we were prepared for this. He does not want to assume any responsibility. He’s not interested in what’s best for the American people.”

A second ad, which will run in Michigan and Wisconsin, features a registered nurse accusing Trump of botching the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“President Trump does not listen to the experts and now we’re trying to play catch up and I’m not sure we can,” the nurse says. “He just makes up things as he goes along that he thinks will make him look good. He doesn’t take any responsibility.”

Trump in 2016 turned Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania red for the first time in decades. If the 2016 map remains the same but presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins those three states back, he’ll win the White House.

American Bridge has been identifying voters who cast ballots for Trump in 2016 that they believe are open to being persuaded to cast a ballot for Democrats in 2020 in key swing districts across the Midwest and Rust Belt.

The super PAC is putting $20 million behind TV and radio ads and an additional $5 million behind a digital ad campaign in those three states.

“When the coronavirus struck, Donald Trump froze like a deer in the headlights. With the virus resurging, he’s too afraid to act,” said American Bridge 21st Century PAC President Bradley Beychok. “We’re ramping up our efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to reach out to those Trump abandoned in his disastrous pandemic response — seniors, working families, and rural communities. Our strategy is already paying dividends so we’re keeping our foot on the gas in order to ensure Joe Biden becomes the next President of the United States.”