Trump's latest fear-mongering ad takes dirty Willie Horton-style politics to a whole new level


President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric has reached a new level.
The Trump campaign, in an attempt to vouch for Republicans, rolled out what CNN calls "the most racially charged national political ad in 30 years" on Wednesday. It features a twice-deported Mexican man who returned to America and killed two police officers, and menacingly claims, "Democrats let him into our country."
Luis Bracamontes was given the death penalty in April, reports The Washington Post. In the ad, he gleefully recounts his crime and drops several uncensored expletives, smiling as he says "I killed f---ing cops." The ad then switches to footage of the migrant caravan. "Who else would the Democrats let in?" it reads.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The ad immediately elicited comparisons to former President George H.W. Bush's "Willie Horton" ad. The 1988 ad connected Bush's Democratic competitor Michael Dukakis to Horton, a black man who raped a white woman while out of jail on a furlough program Dukakis had supported. And while it may be seen as racist today, "it was regarded at the time as devastating to the Dukakis campaign," CNN points out.
The ad also calls back to Trump's infamous campaign debut, when he said Mexican immigrants were "bringing crime, they're rapists." So it's no surprise that Trump is making the same argument once again, conservative commentator Scott Jennings told CNN's Chris Cuomo.
Dozens of Twitter users, media hosts, and retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) have decried the ad. It's still pinned to the top of Trump's Twitter feed.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami