Trump campaign pauses ad spending
The Trump campaign temporarily paused TV ad spending as it undergoes a "review and fine-tuning of the campaign's strategy," according to a Trump campaign official. The re-evaluation under new campaign manager Bill Stepien does not extend to digital advertising.
The Trump campaign has spent more than $84 million on television spots alone since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, including a whopping $17.6 million in political battleground Florida and $10.4 million in Pennsylvania.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Trump promoted Stepien into the top job at the campaign, ousting Brad Parscale. After he was bumped up from political director to deputy campaign manager in late May, Stepien initiated a review of the operation's infrastructure and spending. NBC News first reported the television ad pause.
So far, there's little indication of change in strategy. A new digital ad released Friday falsely claims opponent Joe Biden supports defunding of police. Biden has said he supports redirecting some police resources to address mental health or to change the prison system, but he told CBS News he opposes defunding the police.
The ad also utilizes images of protests taking place under President Trump's leadership to make the argument that a Biden administration would not keep Americans safe.
The suspension in TV spots is coming to an end soon, though. Mr. Trump announced by tweet, "We are doing a new ad campaign on Sleepy Joe Biden that will be out on Monday."
A campaign official told CBS News, "After the campaign reviewed ad strategy, we are going back up on the air with a focus on states that begin voting early. The 2020 calendar is different from past years and there are many states where a majority of votes will be cast before Election Day. This is a smarter strategy."