An Obama campaign Web ad released Tuesday looks to tie Mitt Romney to the controversial assertions held by real estate mogul and reality show host Donald Trump, who has become one of the Romney campaign’s most visible surrogates.
The ad, called “Two Republican nominees,” shows then-candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) rebuffing statements from those who questioned Obama’s citizenship while on the campaign trail in 2008.
“As the Republican nominee, John McCain stood up to the voices of extremism in his own party,” text from the ad reads.
“Why won’t Mitt Romney do the same?” the ad says, before launching into a montage of Trump questioning the president’s birthplace and citizenship.
Romney will campaign with Trump at a fundraiser in Las Vegas on Tuesday, where donors can compete to win dinner with the host of “The Apprentice.”
Romney told CNN over the weekend that he shouldn’t be held accountable for everything his surrogates say.
“I don’t agree with all the people who support me, and my guess is they don’t all agree with everything I believe in,” he said. “But I need to get to 50.1 percent or more and I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people.”
After flirting with a presidential run earlier in the cycle, Trump re-emerged recently, advocating for a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, suggesting he should be considered as a vice presidential candidate and fundraising for the Romney campaign.
Trump has refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the long-form birth certificate released by the White House, and has doubled down on questioning the citizenship of the president.
President Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.
