Veterans Group Airs Ad Targeting Former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, a veterans PAC is set to release an ad on Sunday targeting Donald Trump for his disparaging remarks about veterans. The 60-second ad by VoteVets kicks off with a shot of a military cemetery accompanied by a recording of Trump.  In the recording, he says, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” As per The Hill, in 2020, Trump was reported to have made these remarks in connection to canceling a visit to a World War I cemetery in France. Nevertheless, he dismissed the report as untrue. The video proceeds to showcase a sequence of poignant moments featuring parents of fallen Gold Star heroes.

They criticized the ex-president for ridiculing deceased fighters, labeling them as "losers" and "suckers." One Gold Star parent says, “My stepson was not a loser. My stepson was not a sucker.” Another mother says, “My son is not a loser." Furthermore, a father also says, “My son Matthew is not a loser." The advertisement also spotlights two veterans who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to The Messenger, one of the Gold Star parents refers to Trump as the actual loser. Another parent said, “My son, Sgt. James Anthony Ayube II, gave his life in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2010. … That is something Donald Trump will never know.”

A substantial ad investment, totaling six figures, will showcase the spot during Sunday's NFL conference championship game featuring the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers. The airing is scheduled for Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Harrisburg. This marks the inaugural ad purchase by VoteVets in this election cycle. Notably, the group ranked among the top spenders in the 2022 cycle, contributing $24,473,501 to independent expenditures. During the 2020 election, the group's nonprofit arm played an active role, spending $24,800 in independent expenditures supporting Joe Biden and $92,461 opposing Trump. Representative Brian Mast (R-Fla), serving as the head of the Veterans for Trump Coalition, issued a response on behalf of Trump's campaign.

The congressman labeled VoteVets as a "shill" organization, accusing them of releasing a "vile" ad and criticizing Biden. On a different note, supported by military family members and their advocates, the VoteVets Action Fund employs public issue campaigns to amplify the voices of veterans. In 2020, The Atlantic reported that the then-president, Trump, had consistently belittled the intelligence of service members and requested that wounded veterans be excluded from military parades.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, as reported by The Hill, former President Trump declared on Friday his intention to appeal after a jury directed him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party. Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon.”