Bloomberg, Trump to air ads on Super Bowl

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will use his Super Bowl ad to highlight his efforts to combat gun violence, while President Donald Trump will focus on his economic record as the two candidates face off during the year’s most-watched television event.

Trump and Bloomberg will broadcast dueling ads during Sunday’s NFL championship game, with each campaign spending an estimated $10 million on 60 seconds of airtime.

Bloomberg’s spot, instead of an attack ad as some had reported, will feature a grieving mother who lost her son to gun violence.

The focus underscores the former New York City mayor’s efforts to contrast himself with Trump as he tries to build a national profile with a highly unconventional ad-driven campaign that is looking to get under the president’s skin.

For Trump’s campaign, the aim is to make the case that even if voters are turned off by the president’s style, they are better off now under him than they were four years ago.

Sunday’s broadcast comes one day before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, though neither candidate is competing.

Trump has an ironclad hold on the Republican nomination, while Bloomberg is skipping the four early voting states to focus instead on Super Tuesday contests March 3.

Trump’s campaign will air two ads during the game, both 30 seconds long. One, released Thursday, highlights Trump’s record, especially on the economy, citing continued wage growth and the record low unemployment rate.

Bloomberg’s ad will air after the halftime show in Florida.

It’s apparently the first time a presidential campaign has purchased national Super Bowl time.