One year to the day after an assassin’s bullet missed President Donald Trump by mere millimeters, the White House released a striking ad honoring both the shooting and the enduring spirit of the Make America Great Again movement.
The spot opens with scenes from Trump’s business career before transitioning to a 1988 Oprah Winfrey interview, where he first hinted at a presidential run. “Donald Trump seems to always get stronger with challenge,” reads one of the constantly rotating quotes that were overlayed throughout the video.
“They have no idea what they have unleashed,” reads another quote atop a video from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011. The dinner is often regarded as a key factor in Trump’s eventual decision to run, as then-President Barack Obama spent a considerable portion of his monologue criticizing him while the current officeholder glared.
“I know that he’s been taking some flak lately, but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than Donald. Now he can get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, ‘Did we fake the moon landing?’ What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?” Obama chided before predicting that Trump will never be president.
The advertisement transitions to footage of Trump’s political rise, featuring the well-known escalator descent and some of the president’s earliest rallies from 2015. “What will future Americans say we did in our brief time here on Earth? It will be defined by your vision, your perseverance, and your grit. Nothing will sway us, nothing will slow us, and no one will ever stop us,” reads another quote from the president.
The ad also features the president’s infamous mugshot from the politically motivated criminal charges against him, footage from the 2024 Republican National Convention, and the iconic moment after the assassination attempt when Trump raised his fist and shouted, “Fight, fight, fight!” He adds: “We are Americans. Ambition is our heritage. Greatness is our birthright.”
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