In a strategic move to frame the upcoming presidential election, President Joe Biden’s campaign has released a hard-hitting advertisement titled “Snapped,” which features the voice of actor Robert De Niro. The ad criticizes former President Donald Trump’s attempts to regain power, portraying him as unstable and dangerous.
According to The Guardian, this new 30-second spot, narrated by De Niro, a vocal critic of Trump, is part of Biden’s broader effort to highlight Trump’s alleged misdemeanors ahead of their first debate on June 27. Deadline reports that the ad will be broadcast in key battleground states and nationally on cable, part of a significant May advertising buy by the Biden campaign.
Opening with dramatic orchestral music and interspersed with contentious news footage from Trump’s tenure, De Niro’s voiceover sets a grave tone: “From midnight tweets to drinking bleach, to teargassing citizens and staging a photo-op, we knew Trump was out of control when he was president, and then he lost the 2020 election and snapped.” The ad also features infamous images such as Trump suggesting the injection of bleach to combat COVID-19 and his photo-op with a Bible after the dispersal of protests following George Floyd’s murder.
Rolling Stone notes that De Niro has not shied away from expressing disdain for Trump, previously branding him an “unrepentant, lying scumbag” and a white supremacist. His addition to the Biden campaign lends a dramatic flair and a touch of celebrity activism to the political discourse.
The commercial also touches on the events of January 6, 2021, with footage of the Capitol assault by Trump supporters, described in the ad as an attempt “to halt the certification of Biden’s electoral victory.” De Niro warns in the voiceover, “Now he’s running again, this time threatening to be a dictator, to terminate the constitution,” further showcasing clips of Trump threatening political upheaval and his supporters clashing with law enforcement.
Ending on a stark note, De Niro states, “Trump wants revenge and he’ll stop at nothing to get it,” underscoring the campaign’s message that Trump’s re-election could pose a dire threat to democratic norms.
This advertisement is part of the Biden campaign’s strategy to preemptively frame Trump’s candidacy as a danger to the republic, setting the stage for a heated electoral battle as both sides ramp up their efforts to mobilize supporters and sway undecided voters.