Clinton ad uses Letterman’s Late Show interview with Trump
By Hector Cruz
Hillary Clinton is using footage from The Late Show with David Letterman to hit Donald Trump on outsourcing in a new campaign ad.
While David Letterman wasn’t known for being as overtly political as his Late Show successor Stephen Colbert, he did often mock Donald Trump even before his presidential run, including in an interview with the businessman where he called him out for making his clothing line in Asia. The Hillary Clinton campaign is now using the clip to criticize her Republican rival for outsourcing jobs overseas in an ad that’s currently running in battleground states.
In the 30-second spot from a 2012 episode of The Late Show, Trump feigns ignorance when asked where his clothes from Macy’s are manufactured, offering that they’re made “someplace,” before Letterman holds up his shirts and states that they’re made in Bangladesh.
“Well that’s good,” Trump responds. “We employ people in Bangladesh. They have to work too.” After Letterman points out that his “beautiful” ties are made in China, Trump shrugs uncomfortably as the audience laughs.
The short ad, titled “Someplace,” uses ominous music under the snippet, while on-screen text reads, “He knows where they’re made,” and later “He outsourced jobs to 12 countries,” a fact that’s backed up by various sources. It ends by using Trump’s slogan against him, with the text on screen asking, “Make America Great Again?”
Watch Clinton’s campaign ad below:
The topic came up after Letterman asked Trump why he was endorsing Mitt Romney for president. The former Apprentice host cited his tough stance on China as one of the primary reasons, which prompted Letterman to remind him that he makes most of his products in the country.
“I’ve been very open about that,” Trump said. “But you know the fact is, because of the manipulation of the currency, of their currency, it’s very hard to get product that isn’t made in China.”
After stating that he “would like the people in this country to get first preference” when it comes to jobs, Letterman offered that he should “just shut down the Donald Trump factory in Beijing,” and instead open one in Queens to make the Trump ties in the U.S.
“I love it. I’m for it!” Trump replied.
However, his ties were still being made in China as of March of this year. Most of his daughter Ivanka Trump’s clothing line is also imported from there, including the dress she wore during her RNC speech.
Watch footage of the exchange below:
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Letterman stepped down as host of The Late Show a month before Trump officially launched his campaign for president, but he got the opportunity to blast the Republican nominee in an interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw in June where he called him “despicable,” and also attended a USO event hosted by Jon Stewart where the former Daily Show host mocked the idea of a potential Trump presidency. Since his retirement, Letterman has grown a bushy white beard, and announced the creation of an exhibit dedicated to his late-night days at his alma mater, Ball State University.