A conservative group tested anti-Donald Trump ads focusing on his legal woes but found those concerns backfired among supporters of the twice-impeached ex-president.
One of the spots claimed Trump's indictments had worn him down, while another claimed he had "too much baggage" to win, and a third warned that the Republican frontrunner could be convicted, allowing President Joe Biden to "cruise" to re-election – but all of those flopped with GOP viewers, reported Politico.
“The thing that bothers me the most is the filthy lying individuals who are extremely corrupt that are trying to crucify Trump, which is obviously 100 percent unfair,” said one viewer.
A fourth ad suggested Trump's trial worried him, which had no impact on viewers, but the conservative Win It Back PAC found that the other three actually seemed to energize Republican viewers.
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“All four ads tested failed to move support away from Trump on both the primary ballot and two-way ballot with [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis, relative to a strongly pro-Trump baseline,” read one memo.
The ad that warned Trump could be convicted actually performed worse on a two-way ballot against DeSantis, and that commercial and the one that suggested the indictments had worn him down “backfired across almost all demographic groups," according to an internal memo produced by the Republican data firm Echelon Insights.
“I strongly disagree with this ad," said one viewer. "I don’t think people are giving Trump a fair chance because of who he is."
Trump has positioned himself as a victim of a politicized legal system, and that message seems to resonate with conservatives far more than any efforts to demonstrate why four indictments on 91 criminal counts might be disqualifying.
“Stop bashing Trump and stand behind him," said one viewer.
