Hillary Clinton slams Donald Trump in her first general election ad
NEW YORK Hillary Clinton is framing her opponent, Donald Trump, as a divisive figure who threatens American values in the first television ad of her general election campaign.
"Today, we face a choice about who we are as a nation," she says in the ad, which features video of Trump telling his supporters that he'd like to "knock the crap out of" protesters at a rally.
"Do we help each other?" Clinton says. "Do we respect each other?"
The ad, released by her campaign Sunday, then shows video of Trump seeming to mock a reporter with a disability.
Here's the ad:
According to a Clinton aide, the one-minute spot will start airing in battleground states on Thursday. The ad also previews the case that Clinton will make against Trump as she campaigns this week in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where President Obama is set to appear by her side.
"I know what I believe," Clinton says in the ad. "I believe we are always stronger together."
"Clinton's speech on Monday in Ohio will define the choice that voters face in this election and outline her vision of an America that is stronger together," the aide said. "As she has long said, it really does take a village to build a stronger future for everyone."
In an interview late last month, Clinton said that the "big idea" of her campaign was that Americans are "stronger together." Since then, she has repeatedly used the phrase on the campaign trail.
"We're not just going to break that highest and hardest glass ceiling, we're going to break down all the barriers that hold women and families back," Clinton said on Friday, speaking to members of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. "We are stronger together and we are going to make history again in November."