WASHINGTON

President Trump's donors launch ad campaign to boost his presidency

Fredreka Schouten
USA TODAY
David Bossie

WASHINGTON — Just days after President Trump and House Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare, Trump's supporters on Wednesday launched an advertising campaign to boost his agenda and target a key group of Democratic senators.

Making America Great, a new nonprofit aligned with Trump donor Rebekah Mercer, announced plans to air at least $1 million in television and digital ads. The commercials will run in the nation's capital and 10 states that Trump won last November: Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Florida, Missouri, Indiana and Montana. Democratic senators face re-election next year in all 10 states.

The 30-second ad  highlights Trump's early actions, ranging from his push to reduce Environmental Protection Agency regulations to his approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The advertising campaign marks a major effort by an outside group to deliver a P.R. push to benefit Trump, who has seen his poll numbers slide. A Morning Consult/Politico survey of registered voters released Wednesday found that 46% disapproved of his performance after the GOP's health-care repeal plan was pulled Friday. A Gallup poll released earlier this week showed Trump's job approval at 36%, a new low.

Other groups have advertised to support specific elements of the Trump agenda. The conservative Judicial Crisis Network, for instance, has committed to spend at least $10 million to support Judge Neil Gorsuch, Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

The new advertising blitz, first reported by Bloomberg, does not mention the failed health-care effort but casts Trump as a president moving to act swiftly on jobs and other campaign pledges.

"The movement that propelled Donald Trump to the White House was about one thing, results for the American people," David Bossie, the group's chief strategist and Trump's former deputy campaign manager, said in a statement. "For decades, Washington politicians made empty promises — putting their own self-interests above the American people. Now, the Washington establishment is reeling and business and usual is over. Promises made and promises kept — that's what President Trump is all about."

The group's other major donors include Bernie Marcus, a founder of Home Depot, and Ed Bosarge, a wealthy resident of Houston who co-founded a high-frequency trading firm.

The involvement of Bossie and Mercer, one of Trump's biggest financial benefactors, indicates the group's prominence in the White House orbit.

Read more:

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Mercer and her hedge-fund billionaire father, Bob Mercer, were among the first deep-pocketed Republicans to support Trump's candidacy. The Mercers have close ties to top White House adviser Stephen Bannon with whom they have joined forces on everything from films to the ultra-conservative new site Breitbart News Network.

Bossie initially planned to work with another pro-Trump group, America First Policies, run by the Trump campaign's digital director Brad Parscale. Parscale did not immediately respond to interview requests.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Bossie said Making America Great would not compete with America First. "We're going to work hand in glove with them," he said.

As a nonprofit, Making America Great can raise and spend unlimited sums and does not have to disclose its donors.

President Barack Obama became the first president to have an outside group push his agenda during his administration; leaders of the Obama group, Organizing for Action, voluntarily disclosed donors' names.