Fear

The Scariest Political Ads of 2016

<p>Forget <i>The Exorcist</i>, this year’s most frightening videos come from our politicians.<br> </p>

In his first campaign ad, Donald Trump positions himself as the only one that can save America from impending immigrant doom. The TV spot essentially deploys every fear mongering tactic in the book. Exaggeration, check. Repetition, check. Racism, check.

This Global Zero Action ad juxtaposes statements Trump has made about his willingness to resort to nuclear war with declassified video of Hiroshima victims. The results are as deeply unsettling. Viewer discretion advised.

In an effort to appeal to female voters, the NRA launched a campaign called “Don’t Let Hillary Clinton Leave You Defenseless.” In the ad, a woman is unable to defend herself against an intruder because the presidential nominee abolished her right to bear arms, despite there being no evidence of Clinton planning to do so.

Trump’s “Dangerous” ad starts with a war torn Iran, then North Korean propaganda, then an ISIS beheading, and finally closes out with footage of the only time Clinton has fainted in public in the last 69 years. The music is basically the same type of music that would be used to score a movie scene in which someone is trying to disarm a bomb with a ticking clock attached. Subtle.

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Sara Sayed

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