We all know how thin-skinned Donald Trump is. He needs praise and gratitude at all times. It’s why he’s obsessed with ratings and loves attending applause-filled rallies; it’s why his staff reportedly gives him packets of positive-only news; it’s why he insists any negative news is “fake.”
He needs people to tell him how great and important he is, and when he doesn’t get enough of that, we can all see how deeply it affects him because he puts it all out into the world in the form of Twitter thread meltdowns.
That desperate need for vocal approval is the basis for a new ad–presumably the first for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, spotted on CNN by writer Yashar Ali. The ad features Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale, sporting a “thin blue line” Blue Lives Matter American flag pin, urging viewers to call a 1-800 number to leave a message thanking Trump for doing his job.
First 2020 ad? This Trump ad, featuring his campaign manager @parscale, just aired on CNN. It’s a minute long and asks viewers to call an 800 number to leave a thank you message for POTUS. I called the number and it leads to a fundraising appeal (not unusual for pres campaigns) pic.twitter.com/yB3Rb1pJKe
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 18, 2018
It appears the number may have been disconnected–my calls and those of my husband, who I asked to check it out, all failed. But according to The Washington Post, if you called earlier this week, you were encouraged to leave a message for Trump and also given the option to donate money to his campaign.
A fundraising gimmick would actually make total sense here, but that does seem to be a secondary priority after the thank-you’s. Trump really wants those thank-you’s.
“I need every Trump supporter to pick up a phone right now and deliver a personal thank you to your president,” Parscale says in the ad. “We need to let President Trump know that we appreciate what he’s doing for America. I need you to call the number on your screen and deliver a thank you to President Trump.”
He needs it. He needs us to thank Trump for the oft-repeated baseless claim that he “has achieved more during his time in office than any president in history.”
“President Trump has achieved more in his time in office than any president in history.” – @parscale
Lincoln freed the slaves.
FDR led us to victory in World War II.Trump … cut corporate taxes and imposed tariffs? https://t.co/5yWvYu0rII
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) December 18, 2018
Of course, this desperate need on display begs the question … What happens if Trump doesn’t get the praise he feels he deserves? Will he decide not to run for re-election? Run for re-election out of spite? Continue to strip away rights from marginalized groups?
If you want to try calling to leave a message of praise or … something else, the number is 800-684-3043.
(via Vice, image: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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