Trump’s new ad attacking Biden on China is a complete and utter mess

The big headline from a new Trump campaign ad is that it features an image suggesting that Gary Locke, former Washington governor and U.S. ambassador to China, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. The image flashes for only a moment, but the suggestion is clear: Joe Biden is bowing deferentially to a person of Asian descent standing in front of Chinese flags. Except that the person of Asian descent is actually an American.

But that’s hardly the only way in which the ad obscures and misleads. It is a veritable smorgasbord of deception and disinformation. It attacks Biden for saying things about China that are extremely similar to what Trump himself has said. It also alters Biden’s comments about travel bans and other things to make it sound like he was saying something he did not say.

Let’s walk through it. Continue reading.