Trust (1992)

How it feels

This is a 1992 campaign ad for George H.W. Bush's re-election. It attacks his primary opponent Pat Buchanan for owning a foreign car while criticizing American manufacturing. The ad targets Michigan autoworkers worried about outsourcing.

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What happens

Trust was a political commercial aired preceding the 1992 United States presidential election, during the Republican presidential primaries, in support of the re-election campaign of President George H. W. Bush. The 30-second TV spot attacked conservative columnist Pat Buchanan, who was challenging Bush for the Republican nomination, for owning a foreign-produced Mercedes-Benz and for criticizing his American-made vehicles while speaking in favor of American manufacturing. The ad was aired in Michigan, targeting autoworkers in the state who were worried about outsourcing ahead of the state's March 17 presidential primary. Its release coincided with the release of a Buchanan ad criticizing Bush for his advisors' ties to Japanese automakers. Buchanan ultimately lost the Michigan primary by a large margin, receiving just under 25 percent of the vote to Bush's 67 percent. Commentators blamed Buchanan's margin of loss in part on his social conservatism. With Bush's victory, his renomination by the Republican Party was all but ensured. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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