The two leading figures in the race for Republican presidential nomination, businessman Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz have taken their feud to another level by warring on the airwaves. On Friday, Trump released a new campaign ad questioning Cruz’s stance on immigration policy and highlighting a December interview on FOX News, when the Texas senator stumbled to articulate his past positions on legal status for undocumented immigrants. According to NBC, Trump’s ad which is slated to run in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina contrasts Cruz’s sometimes stuttered answers to Baier’s questions with Trump’s statements that “we have to have a country.”
Trump’s first negative ad targets Cruz
Donald Trump launched the first negative advertising campaign of his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Friday, a spot that derides rival Sen. Ted Cruz as “pro immigration” and “pro amnesty.” The 60-second ad draws on recent television interviews of both men to draw contrasts in their statements on immigration. It begins with heavily edited news clips of Mr. Cruz speaking on Fox News about a defeated 2013 immigration reform bill and amendments he sponsored to that legislation. The clips show the Texas senator stammering when asked whether he supported the entire bill. The campaign ad is scheduled to run in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and Mr. Trump’s campaign said it is spending $2 million a week on advertising.
Cruz launches ad against Trump
Also Friday, Cruz unveiled a spot eviscerating Trump for his support of “eminent domain” laws. In the campaign ad, a female narrator describes the concept as “a fancy term for politicians seizing private property to enrich the fat cats who bankroll them, like Trump.” “Trump won’t change the system,” the ad concludes. “He’s what’s wrong with it.” The two gladiators are bracing up for the challenge at Iowa and New Hampshire.
Trump just started spending on ad
Trump has enjoyed far more free publicity than any of the GOP candidates as he has aired far fewer ads than his Republican rivals, relying instead on the news media to get his message out on television. Trump also began running a radio ad Friday that features Christian evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. speaking about the businessman. Mr. Falwell introduced and praised Mr. Trump during a convocation address but did not endorse him.
