Trump releases Christmas TV ad in early voting states

Former President Trump, the front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, released a new television ad Sunday afternoon that is set to air in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

In the one-minute ad spot, former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described Trump’s surprise Christmas visit in 2018 to Iraq. The ad emphasized Trump’s experience as commander in chief, just weeks away from the Iowa caucuses.

“It was Christmas Day. We boarded Air Force One in complete and total darkness,” Sanders’s voice began. “We landed in war-torn western Iraq. No lights on the runway. There were hundreds of troops packed into a dining hall. They had absolutely no idea that the president and first lady were about to walk into that room.”

“And when they did,” she continued, against the backdrop of slow, classically patriotic music, “it was a sight and a sound and a scene that I hope I never forget. That room absolutely erupted. That was the kind of patriotism President Trump brought back to our country.”

“One of the young soldiers yelled from the back of the room, ‘Mr. President, I reenlisted in the military because of you.’ And without missing a beat the president said, ‘And son, I am here because of you.’”

The ad comes as Trump seeks to maintain his lead as the first round of presidential contests begin within the next month in Iowa.

According to the Decision Desk HQ’s poll average, Trump has a 33.6 percentage point lead in Iowa. In New Hampshire, Trump’s lead is just 17 percentage points, with his former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, polling in a solid second place. In South Carolina, Trump has a 29.5 percentage point lead over Haley.