Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

More Information on the Killer Featured in Donald Trump's New Web Ad Has Emerged, and It Totally Undermines Trump's Message

Inconvenient facts.

In a desperate attempt to rile up his base ahead of the midterms, President Donald Trump tweeted out a racist campaign ad on Wednesday featuring a cop-killing immigrant who had been deported twice from the United States.

"It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country," Trump tweeted along with the video. "Vote Republican now!"


The ad, clearly designed to stoke fear, shows Bracamontes bragging about murdering two cops.

"ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, LUIS BRACAMONTES, KILLED OUR PEOPLE" the ad reads.

"I killed (expletive) cops," Bracamontes boasted. "They're (expletive) dead. I don't (expletive) regret that expletive)." Bracamontes then vowed to break out of prison, promising to "kill more."

"DEMOCRATS LET HIM IN" flashes across the screen before cutting back to Bracamontes (they didn't).

"I don't (expletive) regret that (expletive)," Bracamontes said. "The only thing that I (expletive) regret is that I (expletive) killed two. I wish (expletive) killed more of those (expletive)."

As he's led out of the courtroom, Bracamontes said he's "going to kill more cops soon."

"DEMOCRATS LET HIM STAY" appears in bold (they didn't). "WHO ELSE WOULD DEMOCRATS LET IN?"

Afterward, footage plays of what the ad implies are hordes of immigrants (there are no citations or sources listed for what's shown).

Unfortunately for Trump, the facts don't merit the fear he's intending to instill in his voters, who see illegal immigration as an existential threat to our national sovereignty.

After some digging, The Daily Beast found that the individual featured in the ad, Luis Bracamontes, hadn't been let into or allowed to stay in the United States by Democrats as the ad declares.

The polar opposite is true.

Bracamontes was deported to Mexico in 1997 under President Bill Clinton after he was caught selling drugs. He then had snuck back into the United States by 2001 and was deported a second time under President George W. Bush for being in the country illegally.

Less than a year later in 2002, as the Bush administration grappled with the fallout from 9-11, Bracamontes found his way into the United States - while Bush was president - and then married an American citizen.

Bracamontes was convicted of shooting and killing two Sacramento police officers in 2014. He was sentenced to death in April 2018.

In addition, Bracamontes' weapon of choice was an AR-15, the same gun used in countless mass shootings, including last month's massacre of Jews at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Trump and his Republican cohorts have mounted staunch opposition to limiting the sale of the AR-15, claiming any curtailing of ownership would be an infringement on the Second Amendment.

The ad never mentions white nationalist terrorism, nor the Pittsburgh shooting, nor any instance of American slaughter wrought through the barrel of an AR-15.

Is anyone surprised Trump would engage in dishonest race-baiting a week before the midterms?

Nope.

The Bracamontes spot is triggering memories of the 1988 election when Republicans used Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who happened to be black, as a racist scapegoat to scare voters.

Horton was granted a weekend furlough in 1986 and managed to escape and commit other crimes, but was ultimately recaptured in April 1987. He is serving a life sentence in prison.

More from People/donald-trump

Rory McIlroy
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Golf Star Rory McIlroy Slams 'Abusive' American Fans After Ryder Cup Matches In New York

The Bethpage Black Golf Course in Old Bethpage, New York, hosted the Ryder Cup over the weekend. MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was in attendance with his granddaughter Kai.

Twelve top players from the States faced off against twelve top players from Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Penn; Charlie Kirk
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Sean Penn Sparks Heated Debate After Explaining Why He Thinks We 'Need' People Like Charlie Kirk In Politics

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn stirred controversy after he told the New York Times that we "need" people like the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk in politics despite disagreeing with "almost everything" Kirk believed in.

Kirk was assassinated earlier this month while speaking at a university in Utah; the suspect was caught after a two-day manhunt and has since been charged.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande; Donald Trump
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ariana Grande Slams Trump With Blistering Question For Everyone Who Voted For Him

Wicked star Ariana Grande criticized President Donald Trump by posing a blunt question on Instagram for his supporters now that Trump has been in office for 250 days and counting.

Grande has been a consistently vocal advocate for social justice for many years and she circulated a post from podcaster Matt Bernstein calling out Trump supporters now that, among other things, Trump's immigration crackdown is in full swing and the government is threatening free speech rights.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Ripped After Gloating About How Golden Oval Office Makes World Leaders 'Freak Out'

President Donald Trump is known for his gaudy taste in decor and now he has people rolling their eyes after he claimed that all of the gold decorations in the Oval Office actually makes visitors "freak out" due to its "quality and beauty."

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January—it features, among other things, fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man and a woman resting their heads on one another staring into the distance.
man and woman standing on brown field during daytime

People Reveal The Seemingly Insignificant Gestures That Showed Them How Much Their Partner Cares

It's always nice when our partner makes a grand gesture to show how much they love and care about us.

Be it a surprise romantic getaway, a nice dinner out, or a gift they knew we'd been eyeing, what touches us the most is knowing they did this to show how much we mean to them.

Keep ReadingShow less