Amid a national debate on civility and politics, the Republican National Committee is attacking the left with a new ad that labels liberals “unhinged.”
Released on Tuesday, the ad features footage of Democratic politicians and several liberal celebrities making controversial statements and insulting members of the Trump administration.
Along with images of burning vehicles and graffiti, the ad includes audio of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) saying, “A few years ago, ideas that we talked about were thought to be fringe ideas, radical ideas and extremist ideas. Those ideas are now mainstream.”
The video also incorporates a recent video of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) calling on her constituents to push back on Trump administration officials in public, which earned her rebukes from people on both sides of the aisle.
The shots of controversial celebrity incidents include Kathy Griffin’s photo shoot with President Donald Trump’s bloody, severed head and Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless c**t.” Those actions were condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike, and both comedians issued apologies.
Donald Trump Jr., a fierce defender of his father’s administration, praised the RNC ad. “Best @GOP ad ever. So true,” he tweeted.
Griffin responded by saying, “I’m in good company” and “Is this the best you got guys? A comic’s photoshoot...while your president is keeping children in internment camps?” Griffin was apparently referring to the administration’s practice of detaining undocumented children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“F**k You,” she concluded.
Some critics denounced the RNC ad as hypocritical, citing the GOP’s exhortations to throw then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in jail at the 2016 Republican National Convention. From defending white nationalists to threatening Waters, Trump himself has long suggested the use of violence against his opponents.
Earlier today, Trump congratulated Waters for becoming the new “unhinged” face of the Democratic party.
A renewed debate about civility has arisen after multiple Trump administration officials were confronted for their roles in public. Activists heckled Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen while she was dining at a Mexican restaurant, and the owner of a Virginia eatery asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee to leave the restaurant.