'Would You Hire Trump?': Job Interview Attack Ad Questions President's Past

A new attack advertisement depicting the president at a mock job interview lays out his business failures and accusations against him before asking voters: "Would you hire Trump?"—in a nod to his former role on TV show The Apprentice.

The video, produced by the Win America Back PAC, shows the interviewer sit down before apologizing to the applicant, whose face is not shown throughout but whose figure is seen, for keeping them waiting.

She starts to read the candidate's CV, beginning in a positive tone: "Background in real estate, Manhattan, hotels, skyscrapers—that's impressive. Award-winning career in television, oh love TV."

The tone of the interview then begins to change, however. The interviewer reads about the candidate's failed Atlantic City Casinos, before hearing how the candidate founded a university which "ceased operations due to multiple fraud investigations"—an apparent reference to the president paying $25 million to settle lawsuits from Trump University students.

The interviewer learns of several associates of the candidate being arrested, or convicted of crimes, and how the candidate has themselves faced dozens of accusations of sexual assault.

The interviewer then reads aloud that the candidate is in $400 million of debt, as The New York Times recently reported of Trump, before mentioning "hush money paid to a porn star." Trump has admitted to reimbursing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to Daniels to "stop the false and extortionist accusations".

The advertisement also targets the president's response to COVID-19, with the interviewer mentioning "nearly 250,000 dead in a year". The latest U.S. COVID death toll stands at 227,700, according to data recorded by John Hopkins University.

The video highlights white supremacist groups' support for the president. Trump said he condemned such groups earlier this month.

Claims that Trump called military veterans "losers" are also alluded to.

The clip ends with the interviewer mentioning a reference and adding: "I think this is in Russian, actually."

The ad comes from the Win America Back PAC, which describes itself as being "dedicated to creating simple, clear, cinematic ads that cut through Trump's fog of disinformation and restore the clarity of reality."

"We see every Trump supporter or undecided voter as a loved one who is in danger and needs our help," a statement on its website reads.

"Most political messaging is a negative assault on your senses. Our ads are stories of empathy, of tragedy and redemption, fighting misinformation with meaning."

The group has previously released an advert of a man in 2030 asking a child the names of the presidents. Stopping at Trump as 45th, the girls asks the man: "Why isn't there a 46th?". The advert told Americans to: "Vote while you still can."

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign and the Win Back America PAC for comment on its latest ad.

The president has been the subject of attack advertisements from several external groups throughout the 2020 campaign.

The Lincoln Project, a group made up mainly of Republicans who do not want to see another Trump term, has created some of the most prominent—targeting Trump and his allies. While another group, Republican Voters Against Trump, has also taken a critical focus on the president.