Donald Trump’s New Anti-Clinton Ad Paints Her As The Real Gloommaker

Early Friday afternoon, Donald Trump released a new anti-Hillary Clinton ad on Twitter. The 30-second spot contrasts a theoretical Clinton administration with a snapshot of America under Trump. Though the ad begins,”You heard the speech. But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: in Hillary Clinton’s America, things get worse,” it does not comment on any of Clinton’s policy proposals or counter with any from Trump.

Instead, over a dark, ominous score, a voiceover speaks in vague terms about each future for America. “Under [Clinton’s] dishonest plan, taxes keep rising,” it says. “Terrorism spreads. Washington insiders remain in control. Americans losing their jobs, homes, and hope.”

Ironically, Trump’s administration sounds a lot like the future that President Barack Obama conjured in 2008: “In Donald Trump’s America, people are put back to work. Our families are safe. The American dream achievable again. Change that makes America great again.” And the irony grows even greater, considering how Trump’s own Republican convention speech was filled with a different type of gloom than he projects for a Clinton presidency.

In the wake of this week’s Democratic National Convention, many analysts noted the Clinton campaign’s attempt to freeze Donald Trump in the current, to pin him down on policy matters and with comments like his appeal to Russian hackers. By contrast, Trump’s ad avoids committing the candidate to anything, presumably leaving the real estate mogul and reality television star room to evolve on the finer points of governing.

Trump’s also pushing another “ad,” which is really a compilation of Bernie Sanders’ pre-unity remarks about Clinton. All of these statements happened when the two Democratic candidates were campaign rivals, but Trump wants to keep them alive.