One of the US’s largest Democratic campaign groups has launched an ad saying Donald “acts like a caudillo” – meaning a Latin American authoritarian or a dictator.
In the online s, produced by “super PAC” Priorities USA, people who moved to the US from countries such as Cuba and Venezuela compare to the authoritarian figures whose governments they fled.
One of them features Virginia, an “educator and social worker”, who compares to Hugo Chavez:
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Another features poetry professor Virgil, who came to the US from Cuba decades ago. He calls “a charlatan and a scoundrel” who “thinks he’s a dictator”.
Priorities USA launched the s on Presidents’ Day, tweeting them out using the hashtag #caudilloday. The ads target’s personalisation of political debate, his attacks on the media, and his record of denigrating and firing staff who defy him.
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Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
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He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
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Early signs of’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
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Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and are good friends
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Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
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Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
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Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
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Given that this store is in the lobby of Tower, it can be said that sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
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Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Getty
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He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
AFP/Getty
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Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
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He even gave eence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
AFP/Getty
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He still found time for a round of course
AFP/Getty
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On 16 June 2015, announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
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His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Getty
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Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Getty
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Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
AFP/Getty
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Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
Getty
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News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that’s victory spelled
AFP/Getty
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Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November.
AFP/Getty
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Donald and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
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The inauguration of Donald took place on 20 January 2017.’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
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In his first 100 days as leader, signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
AFP/Getty
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One of’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Getty
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Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have proed no short supply of photo opportunities
Getty
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Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Reuters
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Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
EPA
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One of the most significant meetings has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
Getty
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2020 will see president fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Getty
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Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP
2/29
He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
Getty
3/29
Early signs of’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
Getty
4/29
Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and are good friends
Getty
5/29
Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
Getty
6/29
Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
Getty
7/29
Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
Getty
8/29
Given that this store is in the lobby of Tower, it can be said that sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
Getty
9/29
Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Getty
10/29
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
AFP/Getty
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
Getty
12/29
He even gave eence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
AFP/Getty
13/29
He still found time for a round of course
AFP/Getty
14/29
On 16 June 2015, announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
Getty
15/29
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Getty
16/29
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Getty
17/29
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
AFP/Getty
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
Getty
19/29
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that’s victory spelled
AFP/Getty
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November.
AFP/Getty
21/29
Donald and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
22/29
The inauguration of Donald took place on 20 January 2017.’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
Getty
23/29
In his first 100 days as leader, signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
AFP/Getty
24/29
One of’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Getty
25/29
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have proed no short supply of photo opportunities
Getty
26/29
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Reuters
27/29
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
EPA
28/29
One of the most significant meetings has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
Getty
29/29
2020 will see president fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Getty
Comparing to Hugo Chavez, Virginia says: “They make decisions with no consideration for the consequences.
“They fire public employees linked to him or his adminstration, just because they’re not convenient to him or they disagree, and they do it in front of the television cameras, humiliating them.
“Overall, Hugo Chavez did not behave like a president, nor does Donald behave like president of one of the greatest world powers.”
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The s are launching just as the Democratic primary heads to Nevada, where the candidates are courting the state’s many Latino voters in hopes of gaining an edge in their contest.
Winning over Latino voters is crucial for the Democrats in various traditional swing states, including Nevada and Florida, as well as in states that were previously uncompetitive but have been gradually trending towards the Democrats, like Arizona.
However, the so-called “Latino vote” includes many different groups who have specific histories and interests. Among them are Cubans, concentrated in Florida in particular, whom the “caudillo” ads are specifically intended to appeal to.
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Exit polls showed that at the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won 65 per cent of the overall Latino vote – down from Barack Obama’s 71 per cent in 2012.
