The Donald Steals the Closer

Just in time for the weekend before Election Day, Donald Trump’s campaign on Thursday evening released a stirring closer in the media ad wars that, with a soaring voiceover, arresting visuals, and a commanding on-screen script, used the platform of the presidency to take him above the daily campaign fare of political rallies, rope lines, and attack commercials. And yet, the ad also delivers powerful if subliminal campaign messages about a time when the economy was good, the world was safe, the border was secure, schools were sane, and the future was welcoming.

Using the single most unifying moment a president has outside of an inaugural address, the Trump ad employs the political imagery of his State of the Union addresses by displaying the famous House gallery moments that thrilled the public—including a salute to Buzz Aldrin, a soldier returning home to his family, a North Korean defector holding up his crutches, and Nancy Pelosi clapping amidst thunderous applause in the House of Representatives. Moments that came, as the ad notes, in a speech that was “bigger than the Academy Awards” and the “NFL playoffs,” and that “47.7 million watched,” and says that “he can do it again,” and that “we can do it again”—meaning “Make America Great Again.”

While presenting Trump as the candidate of national unity and American pride and employing the presidential  imagery that always works the most powerfully for any candidate, the ad reminds Americans that Trump had arguably the most successful first term of any U.S. president in history—displayed clearly by  his State of the Union addresses, which drew far larger audiences than Obama’s or Biden’s and won much stronger reviews. But most of all, the ad reminds the public that Donald Trump has already done the job—and does so by evoking the single most unifying moment a president has outside of an inaugural address.

The ad works for three particular reasons—first among them is the forgotten eloquence of Trump’s words and his rousing narrative of the American Story.

“What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?” Trump says in his 2019 State of the Union remarks, which are featured in the ad. “Look at the opportunities before us.”

“America is a land of heroes,” Trump says. “This is a place where greatness is born… Our ancestors… settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine… and we are making it greater than ever before.”

“The people dreamed this country,” Trump continues. “And it’s the people who are making America great again.”

“No matter the trials… no matter the challenges to come… We must keep freedom alive in our souls… that one nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise, and the light and the glory, among all the nations of the world,” the ad concludes.

Second, the ad features, in a virtuoso display by Trump’s creative team, moving images to tell a narrative. The ad features stirring imagery of cowboys, Americans settling the frontier, arriving on Ellis Island, storming the beaches of Normandy, and carrying American flags on horseback—spliced between footage from Trump’s State of the Union remarks and from his 2024 campaign rallies. This inspiring imagery complements Trump’s soaring rhetoric and cements his distinctive storytelling power.

And third, the ad includes an on-screen script that emphasizes the popularity of Trump’s State of the Union remarks—and reinforces that American greatness is still within reach, with, as mentioned, “Bigger than the Academy Awards,” the ad says on-screen in all-caps, referring to the high viewership of Trump’s State of the Union addresses, and “Bigger than the NFL playoffs.”

“47.7 million watched,” the script reads, in reference to Trump’s 2017 address to a joint session of Congress.

“We remembered what made America great… He brought us together… and we made America great again,” the captions say.

“He can do it again…We can do it again… And together… we can make America great again.”

At the time, even left-wing media pundits praised Trump’s annual State of the Union Addresses. “I think people where I came from will like the speech tonight,” said former MSNBC host Chris Matthews of the 2020 address. “I think regular people will… they’ll see it but they’ll like it. Because it’s all good stuff.”

Left-wing CBS News host Norah O’Donnell agreed: “This was a speech unlike any other I have witnessed from President Donald Trump—the reality TV president took on the state of the union, a master showman at his best,” she wrote on social media.

And The Washington Post’s David Von Drehle praised the remarks as a “lethally effective exploitation of the presidential bully pulpit.” No previous address, he wrote, “so cunningly adapted the ancient ritual of a former speech to the visceral medium of television.”

Ultimately, this ad is a powerful reminder of how much success Trump had in his first term—when the American experience was marked by pride, optimism, and hope. As the 45th President, Trump remade the federal judiciary with hundreds of conservative appointments—including the three Supreme Court justices. His low-tax, low-regulation economic agenda propelled the U.S. economy to unprecedented heights. His border security measures effectuated the most secure southern border in recorded history. And his foreign policy, rooted in the philosophy of “peace through strength,” ensured America stayed out of endless wars overseas and that the world was safe.

Trump’s State of the Union remarks not only reminded Americans of these accomplishments, but also gave them a reason to have hope for their futures and pride for their country after eight years of negativity and dread under the Obama administration.

Given that the overwhelming majority of Americans currently believe that the country is on the wrong track, Kamala Harris cannot be afforded the same opportunity to galvanize voters around a common vision of American greatness grounded in success, optimism, and ambition—making Trump’s closing ad all the more effective.

In the closing days of the 2024 presidential contest, Trump’s closing ad reminds voters of a leader who, despite the accusations of self-promotion from the left, never loses sight of the people he serves. Trump’s first term in the Oval Office elevated everyday Americans—the unsung heroes who built this country, defended its freedoms, and continue to shape its future. The ad’s tribute to astronaut Buzz Aldrin, for instance, vividly demonstrates Trump’s honoring of an American hero who embodies the ambition and grit of space exploration, a testament to the 45th president’s commitment to those who exemplify the American spirit.

As Election Day approaches, the Trump campaign’s closing ad is a call to voters to remember that with the right leadership, America’s best days are still ahead.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.