Graham Kilmer

Bus Ads Will Blast Trump, Promote Biden During Republican Convention

57 MCTS buses will become rolling billboards for Democratic ads during the RNC.

By - Jul 8th, 2024 05:20 pm

Anti-Trump and Pro-Biden bus ads purchased by Democratic National Convention. Images courtesy of DNC.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is turning Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) buses into rolling ads blasting former president Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention (RNC).

The DNC announced Monday that it was “going on the offensive early,” and purchasing ad space on 57 MCTS buses, which covers approximately 15% of the transit system’s fleet. A spokesperson for the DNC told Urban Milwaukee the committee didn’t yet know how much would be spent on the ads.

The rolling ad campaign includes three separate anti-Trump ads highlighting his support for overturning Roe v. Wade and his recent felony criminal conviction. They are contrasted by four that will promote President Joe Biden‘s campaign, employing the “Dark Brandon” image of Biden with red laser beams for eyes. The pro-Biden ads highlight his support for Roe, lowering prescription drug costs and protecting Social Security.

“Ahead of the Republican National Convention, Democrats are making sure that Wisconsinites and all Americans understand that if Trump wins, America loses,” DNC Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin said in a statement. “This year, the survival of our democracy is on the ballot, along with protections for fundamental freedoms, health care, affordable prescription drugs, and good-paying jobs.”

The RNC officially begins July 15 and the bus ads are just the latest salvo in a local billboard battle marking the arrival of the national political wars in Milwaukee.

Pro-Trump and anti-Trump ads have gone up on billboards along freeways running through the city, with Democrats highlighting Trump’s now infamous comment calling Milwaukee a “horrible city” and Republicans advertising another quote from Trump extolling his love for the city and that he has “great friends in Milwaukee.”

The bus ads are meant to complement the billboard strategy by the DNC.

“We’re trying to reach people in the most fractured media environment in the history of American politics,” Sam Cornale, DNC Executive Director recently told Wisconsin Public Radio. “And we’re taking an incredibly innovative approach, one facet of which is over-indexing on billboards.”

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11 thoughts on “Bus Ads Will Blast Trump, Promote Biden During Republican Convention”

  1. Duane says:

    These bus ads are silly. One ad says “Restore Roe? Vote Joe”. So how many decades did the Democrats have to codify abortion rights into law and yet did nothing? The answer is “as long as Joey was in Washington” i.e., many decades. Joey Bides became a US Senator on 01/03/73 and Roe v. Wade was decided on 01/22/73. Step aside Joe and let a decent Democrat pilot that POTUS bus! I’m sick of purple Democrats making me nauseous with all their “purple drank”. (I know, I know, Democrats can bomb civilians just as easily as Republicans, we are all SO impressed!)

  2. kcoyromano@sbcglobal.net says:

    Whoever thought of these bus ads is brilliant–but they should run close to the convention as well as throughout the city before November. Granted, a little ‘late to the party’ but nevertheless is an effective way of delivering the message.

  3. fightingbobfan says:

    Duane, Roe was considered to be settled law for 50 years, so the Democrats chose not to rile up anti-abortion voters by codifying it.

    You can bet that if we win the presidency and the Congress, Roe will be codified.

  4. TosaGramps1315 says:

    I detest Frump and all of his cronies. But bus ads seem to reek of desperation.

  5. kcoyromano@sbcglobal.net says:

    Marketing and public awareness campaigns do not reek of desperation. It speaks of being pro-active and getting your point of view out in the open.

  6. Franklin Furter says:

    It’s taken me 24 hours to appreciate this campaign from my initial eyerolling. It has already received coverage here on Urban Milwaukee, JO Online and other outlets. You can be sure it will be featured nationally and during the RNC coverage. While the whole “Dark Brandon” thing is beyond me and “Restore Roe” seems a bit lame, people will respond to this.

    Nice.

  7. tmaloney6 says:

    They need smaller print to include Trump’s extensive Tale of the Tape: convicted sexual predator, massive business fraudster, proud p*ssy grabber, racist, bully, misogynist, serial liar, conspiracy theorist, and wannabe dictator who admires world’s worst dictators Putin, Xi, Kim Jung-Un, Orban.

  8. TosaGramps1315 says:

    tmaloney: There isn’t a bus made that would be large enough to get that entire message across and still allow it to be readable.
    Perhaps they could utilize the electronic messaging system displayed on the front of the bus to make those points? 🙂

  9. Counselor of Peace Joel Paplham says:

    I guess it is very appropriate in the city of Milwaukee to call a Red Carpet a Red Carpet. Mayor Cavalier Johnson invited the RNC to the beautiful city of Milwaukee near a great lake. Since doing so he has been ” thrash talking ” like a member of the NBA team, negative b. s. about the Republicans candidate for president. The Red Carpet is getting a deeper shade of red everyday forward as Mayor Cavalier Johnson figuratively twists a sharp tongue in the backs of the RNC. And also neglecting to solve Milwaukees crime statistics where real blood is flowing, mainly from people with his skin color. As Joe Biden would say ” Come on man” show the residents of Milwaukee you are a compassionate leader.

  10. kcoyromano@sbcglobal.net says:

    Joel, please learn how to spell if you want to ‘trash talk’–not thrash talk.

    Remember, crime will never be resolved until white people and the NRA stop insisting everyone should have a gun.

    I’m sorry, as long as the GOP has racist bigot, sexual predator and convicted felon as their poster child for president, I am not going to be pleased that these people are coming to our city.

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