Donald Trump is posting ads on Snapchat for the first time this election – and one of them uses a photo of him giving a thumbs-up at this year’s memorial honoring the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The ad, which is just 15 seconds long, shows a video of Trump at the memorial pointing to the camera before giving a smile and a thumbs up. White text flashes on the screen: “Who needs to vote? You.” This year’s memorial was also attended by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among other notable lawmakers.
Trump is spending $23,000 on Snapchat ads in swing states leading up to Election Day, while Harris has spent more than $6.6 million on the platform since entering the race, The New York Times reports. The app, which allows users to send disappearing texts and photo messages, is widely used by a younger audience.
Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, an organization supporting victims of the attacks and their loved ones, told the Times he did not think Trump’s cheery gesture was appropriate.
“I would love to know who he’s making that gesture to,” Eagleson told the Times. “Because it certainly doesn’t seem like a gesture you would make at a solemn ceremony.”
The Independent has contacted Trump’s campaign for comment.
Trump already faced backlash for inviting Laura Loomer to this year’s memorial. Loomer, a far-right activist, has promoted a conspiracy theory that September 11 was an “inside job” and has used the terrorist attacks to espouse anti-Muslim views.
She also made headlines earlier this year for making racist remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris is currently outperforming Trump among Gen Z and millennial voters. She leads the former president 47 percent to 35 percent, according to the University of Chicago’s GenForward poll released last week.
Harris is also 1.4 points ahead of Trump among all voters, according to the latest average of national polls.
On average, Harris has been marginally ahead of Trump, but the gap has closed significantly over the last month. However, the vice president has gained significant support from Black men under 50, a new poll from the NAACP reveals, with support jumping by 8 percentage points from last month.
