An online ad released by President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign purports to show support for American troops but actually depicts Russian jets and weapons instead.
The artwork features the silhouettes of servicemembers who are seen walking forward as fighter jets fly overhead.
“That’s definitely a MiG-29,” Pierre Sprey, an expert who helped design types of aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, told Politico. “I’m glad to see it’s supporting our troops.”
The ad also features an AK-74 assault rifle, according to Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow.
The Trump Make America Great Again Committee, which fundraises with support from Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, released the ad asking viewers to “support our troops” last week.
A representative for the campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
The mix-up comes after a report in The Atlantic said earlier this month that the president has disparaged American servicemembers and military dead as “losers” and “suckers.” Trump has repeatedly denied the contents of the bombshell report and called for the firing of at least one reporter who corroborated it, Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin.
See the ad below.
https://twitter.com/aravosis/status/1305682430607716358