Trump Spotlights Criminal Justice Reform with Super Bowl Ad
If you missed the game Sunday, you also missed a historic moment for criminal justice reform and American politics in general. President Donald Trump used the biggest stage in American sports to spotlight the importance of criminal justice reform and underscore his support for it.
For the first time since ad tracking began, two Presidential candidates ran nationwide spots during the Super Bowl, and President Trump’s sent a resounding message to every conservative across the country – if you are a true conservative who wants enhanced public safety and fiscal responsibility, you should support criminal justice reform.
The president’s ad was focused around the story of nonviolent drug offender Alice Johnson. Her sentence was commuted in 2018, making her one of thousands to get a new opportunity at life thanks to criminal justice reform.
The television ad wastes no time in putting across President Trump’s message, opening with a photo of Johnson and the caption, “Alice Johnson was sentenced to serve life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense.” As the photo fades to black, a second caption fades in, “Thanks to President Trump, people like Alice are getting a second chance.”
The video also features the moment Johnson was released from prison and embraced her family members who were eagerly awaiting her return home. In Johnson’s own words from that momentous day, “I’m free to hug my family. I’m free to start over. This is the greatest day of my life. My heart is just bursting with gratitude.”
In addition to Johnson’s clemency, the ad also refers to President Trump’s support of the FIRST STEP Act, a 2018 law that decreased the sentences of several nonviolent federal drug offenders, positively impacting the life of Johnson and thousands of others.
The takeaway of the ad is clear – criminal justice reform is a conservative-led issue that is leading to countless stories of redemption and correcting the mistakes of the past. It’s the right thing to do to not only ensure the best use of taxpayer dollars, but also to improve the safety of our communities.
Criminal justice reforms are critical to the future of our state and nation. President Trump recognizes this, and we are hopeful that other conservatives across America will follow his lead and embrace vital criminal justice reforms. The fact that President Trump selected this as his message to share on America’s biggest television night speaks volumes about its necessity and the growing movement to enact smart on crime policies nationwide.
