Trump campaign ad sparks outrage

Spot blames Democrats for killings by Mexican

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s campaign claimed in an ad that Democrats are responsible for a Mexican citizen who killed two California deputies, and Trump’s critics have called the spot racist and divisive.

“Illegal immigrant, Luis Bracamontes, killed our people!” reads the opening text in a campaign ad tweeted by Trump on Wednesday.

“Democrats let him stay,” the next line reads.

The man featured in the video is Luis Bracamontes, a Mexican citizen who had repeatedly entered the U.S. illegally and was sentenced to death for the murder of two Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies.

The inflammatory 53-second ad is part of the Trump campaign’s ongoing push to make immigration a key issue ahead of the midterm elections next week.

“This is distracting, divisive Donald at his worst,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told CNN. Perez characterized the commercial as “dog whistle politics” based on “fearmongering” and a desperate move ahead of the midterm election. Pollsters have predicted the Democrats will gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a Trump critic, said of the ad, “This is just a new low in campaigning. It’s sickening,” according to CNN’s Jake Tapper.

During his trial, Bracamontes was removed from the courtroom for threatening outbursts. At the reading of his verdict in February, Bracamontes smiled and vowed to “to kill more cops soon.” The commercial centers on Bracamontes’ antics.

The video, which had been seen by 1.9 million people as of 7 a.m. EDT Thursday, then cuts to scenes of apparent migrants crashing through unspecified gates. “Who else would Democrats let in?” the ad asks rhetorically.

Immigration has long been a top issue for Trump. In recent weeks, he has stepped up the tempo, warning about an “invasion” across the U.S.-Mexico border.