On the second anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the Biden campaign released a new digital ad hammering former President Donald Trump on gun control.
“We honor those we lost in Uvalde,” the ad says in the text that appears on a black screen. As “Ave Maria” plays, the lyrics continue, and an altar commemorating the 19 children and two teachers in the 2022 massacre appears, then cuts to photos of President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visiting Uvalde shortly afterwards.
“Joe Biden has expanded background checks and is fighting for an assault weapons ban,” the text reads.
Above a video of a mouth speaking, the words appear: “Donald Trump has done nothing to keep us safe.”
The ad closes with a final image of the Bidens at a memorial in Uvalde and the words, “I'll never forget, I'll never stop fighting.”
The 30-second ad is part of the campaign's seven-figure media ad buy for May, targeting Latino voters. The film will screen in the battleground states of Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada and will also include subtitles in Spanish.
Here's the Uvalde ad:
“No family should have to experience the pain and trauma that Uvalde families will continue to experience for the rest of their lives,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris campaign manager, said in a statement. “As guns remain the leading cause of death for young people in America, President Biden and Vice President Harris understand the urgency of this crisis and have brought together bipartisan leaders to take historic action to combat gun violence.”
It is the Biden campaign's latest attempt to target Hispanic voters in key states where Latino voters are expected to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the November election.
In 2020, President Biden won Arizona by fewer than 11,000 votes. This year, one in four Arizona voters will be Latino. The latest CBS poll shows that Biden is currently five points behind Trump.
With six months to go before the election, the Biden campaign has stepped up its attacks on Trump.
On the same day the Uvalde ad was released, a new TV spot was also released, narrated by actor Robert De Niro. The 'Snapped' ad, which will appear in battleground states, takes aim at Trump's former presidency as the Biden campaign looks to sway voters away from their political rival.
“We knew Trump was out of control when he was president,” the ad says. “Then he lost the 2020 election and he snapped.” A series of phrases appear – “dictator,” “massacre,” “end the Constitution” – in an attempt to paint a dark and disturbing picture of what a second term for Trump would look like.
The ad narrated by De Niro is part of the campaign's strategy to step up its attacks in the month leading up to the first presidential election debate, which will take place on June 27 in Atlanta.
Here is De Niro's ad:
