RNC spending over $1M for ads touting Trump’s coronavirus performance

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Do Trump's reelection hopes hang on his coronavirus response?

Karl Rove reacts to the White House's efforts to address the health and economic crisis.

The Republican National Committee says it’s launching a seven-figure ad buy praising President Trump’s handling of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The RNC confirmed to Fox News early Friday that it will spend over $1 million to run digital spots in 15 general election battlegrounds and other potentially competitive states. The national party committee says the ads will start running on April 13 and will target registered independent voters and moderate Democrats, which the RNC identified as “swing voters important to victory.”

TRUMP REACHES NEW APPROVAL HIGH IN NEW FOX NEWS POLL

It’s rare for either the RNC or the Democratic National Committee to go up with ads on behalf of an incumbent president so early in the general election cycle. But the RNC’s move comes after two super PACs supporting presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden – as well as another pro-Democratic outside group – have launched TV and digital spots in recent weeks heavily criticizing the president for initially downplaying the severity of the coronavirus and for his handling of the federal response to the pandemic.

The president’s presided over the daily White House coronavirus briefings the past month, where he’s announced the federal government’s actions but has also tangled with reporters and at times slammed Democratic governors who’ve criticized Trump and his administration for a lack of action by Washington to assist their states.

A digital ad the RNC shared with Fox News includes video clips of two Democratic governors from states hard hit by the pandemic complimenting the president.

“He has been responsive. He has done a lot of good things,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says in a clip used in the spot.

And Gov. Gavin Newsom of California is seen saying “he has said everything that I could have hoped for.”

The president’s repeatedly praised the federal government’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

“Everybody is amazed at the job we’re doing,” Trump touted at Monday’s White House briefing. “And the public is starting to find out.”

TRUMP AT 51 PERCENT APPROVAL ON CORONAVIRUS IN NEW FOX NEWS POLL

The president’s approval rating on how he’s handling the coronavirus stands at 51 percent, according to a national poll from Fox News that was released on Thursday. Forty-eight percent disapproved of Trump’s efforts combating the outbreak. The president’s approval rating stood at 51-46 percent approval/disapproval in the previous Fox News poll, which was conducted late last month.

But the president’s approval rating is slightly underwater in two other national polls released this week.

Forty-six percent of those questioned in a Monmouth University poll said the president’s done a good job dealing with the pandemic, with 49 percent saying he’s done a bad job. In a Monmouth survey from two weeks earlier, half of those questioned said Trump was doing a good job and 45 percent gave him a thumbs down. And the president stands at 46 percent approval and 51 percent disapproval in a Quinnipiac University survey.

Fifty-five percent of registered voters questioned in the Quinnipiac survey said that the president had not acted aggressively enough in responding to the crisis, with 41 percent saying he response has been about right and 2 percent saying Trump’s been too aggressive.

POLLS SUGGEST TRUMP'S APPROVAL ON CORONAVIRUS SLIPPING

RNC chief of staff Richard Walters, in announcing the new spots, highlighted that "our latest ad buy further fuels our robust digital presence as we continue to meet voters where they are right now - online and in their homes.  The American people have seen President Trump respond to this crisis with unprecedented leadership, and they will respond with their votes in November.”

The RNC said the ads will run through May 4 on online platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, CNN, and Vevo. The states where the ads will run include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.