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Trump Campaign Passes Off Stock Image Models as Supporters in Facebook Ads

It was not immediately clear why a campaign that can fill an arena with supporters would rely on stock footage.

A series of Facebook video ads for President Trump’s re-election campaign portrayed stock image models as supporters of the president, the Associated Press reports. “I could not ask for a better president,” a blonde woman called “Tracey from Florida” says in one. In another video a man labeled as “AJ from Texas” stares into the camera as a voice says: “Although I am a lifelong Democrat, I sincerely believe that a nation must secure its borders.” Another ad features a bearded stock model at a coffee shop titled “Thomas from Washington” with a voice-over saying the president and his family are “in our prayers for strength and wisdom from God almighty.” The ad's stock origins were first reported by Judd Legum for his website Popular Information. The videos include tiny disclaimers that say “actor portrayal,” but it was not immediately clear why a campaign that has been able to fill arenas with supporters would rely on stock footage.

The Trump Make America Great Again Committee is reportedly behind the ads. The committee has spent by far the most money on political Facebook advertising of any 2020 campaign, shelling out over $2.7 million on 27,735 ads in the last 90 days, according to the social network’s database of campaign ad spending.