Ahead of Texas Visit, DNC Launches Digital Homepage Takeover of Odessa American Newspaper to Call Out Trump’s Failed Coronavirus Response

Ahead of Donald Trump’s trip to Texas today, the Democratic National Committee launched a daylong digital advertising campaign taking over the homepage of the Odessa American newspaper to call out Trump’s catastrophic coronavirus response. The paper reaches voters in the Midland-Odessa area, where Trump is set to hold events later today, including a photo op and a high-dollar fundraiser.

Later today, at 1 p.m. CT, the Texas Democratic Party will also host a press call with U.S. Representatives Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia, and Vicente Gonzalez to highlight how Trump’s failed leadership has hurt Latinx communities and working families across Texas.

“Donald Trump can’t spin the devastating consequences of his failed pandemic response with another photo op,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “As coronavirus cases spike and Texas’ economy craters, Trump has stuck his head in the sand while leaving working families in the dust. Now, he’s parachuting into Texas in yet another desperate attempt to distract himself from his ineffective and incompetent leadership. Leave it to Trump to rub elbows with his wealthy, well-connected friends at a high-dollar fundraiser while nearly 3 million Texans are out of work and fighting to make ends meet.”

Texas is currently one of the biggest coronavirus hotspots in the nation, with hospitals facing a ‘tsunami’ of patients and severe staff shortages, and some even being forced to pick and choose between who lives and who dies. The Midland-Odessa area that Trump is set to visit has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. This week in Midland, COVID-related deaths over the past four months surpassed annual deaths from the flu. Meanwhile in Ector County, which is home to Odessa, confirmed coronavirus cases just surpassed 3,000 earlier this week.

Today’s digital ‘homepage takeover’ advertising campaign comes on the heels of the DNC’s television ad airing in the El Paso media market, which was announced earlier this month. The digital ads will appear on the Odessa American’s homepage — including multiple banner ads — and will run for 24 hours. See images of the ads below.