--- title: Donald Trump: One in Five Ads in GOP Primary Attacked Him description: About 60,000 TV ads — roughly one-fifth of all ads aired in the Republican presidential primary — have been critical of Donald Trump in some... canonical: https://time.com/4309674/donald-trump-campaign-ads-attacks-kantar/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-27T15:59:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:01.463Z article:section: Politics og:title: One in Five GOP Primary Ads Have Attacked Trump og:description: That's about 60,000 TV ads. og:url: https://time.com/4309674/donald-trump-campaign-ads-attacks-kantar/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb4eccadc7c913d/698890e0428a9e3ee8cd2660/donald-trump20.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4216 og:image:height: 2372 og:image:alt: US-VOTE-ELECTION-REPUBLICANS-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: One in Five GOP Primary Ads Have Attacked Trump twitter:description: That's about 60,000 TV ads. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb4eccadc7c913d/698890e0428a9e3ee8cd2660/donald-trump20.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # One in Five GOP Primary Ads Have Attacked Donald Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3492dffb-9bff-4366-a340-094632ab59b6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump on the Attack [Watch (HLS stream): Trump on the Attack](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VeRjnf0d.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2016-04-25. Donald Trump seemed clearly rankled Monday by the decision of rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich to team up against him, spending much of the beginning of his rally in Rhode Island bashing his opponents rather than promoting himself._ by [Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel and Cady Zuvich](https://time.com/author/center-for-public-integrity/) ## Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel and Cady Zuvich Apr 27, 2016 3:59 PM UTC  Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York on April 26,2016. Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York on April 26,2016. Kena Betancur—AFP/Getty Images by [Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel and Cady Zuvich](https://time.com/author/center-for-public-integrity/) ## Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel and Cady Zuvich Apr 27, 2016 3:59 PM UTC About 60,000 TV ads — roughly [one-fifth of all ads](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/26/19593/how-many-tv-ads-have-attacked-donald-trump) aired in the Republican presidential primary — have been critical of [Donald Trump](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/16/17488/9-things-know-about-donald-trump) in some fashion, according to a [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org) review of data from [Kantar Media/CMAG](http://www.kantarmedia.com/us/our-solutions/advertising-monitoring-and-evaluation/political). Despite the outpouring of hostility from his opponents, the bombastic billionaire businessman continues to roll toward the GOP presidential nomination, having swept [five more states](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/live-blog-battle-delegates-intensifies-east-coast-primaries-n562336) on Tuesday. “I’ve had negative ads all throughout, and I’ve won races in a landslide,” Trump said in his [victory speech Tuesday night](http://www.c-span.org/video/?408719-1/donald-trump-primary-night-speech&start=1938). “Most of these people who have been fighting me are gone.” This massive figure includes about 800 TV ads so far aired in Indiana, a state that holds its primary Tuesday and has emerged as the [next major battleground](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/25/cruzs-last-stand-his-indiana-strategy-work/83491336/) between Trump and Sen. [Ted Cruz](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/03/23/16947/ted-cruzs-presidential-cash-hunt-commences) of Texas, Trump’s chief adversary. The bulk of these ads aired after Trump already solidified his front-runner status. Now, Trump continues to surge. To date, he’s earned more than [950 delegates](https://interactives.ap.org/2016/delegate-tracker/), according to the Associated Press. That’s less than 300 short of the 1,237 he needs to clinch the GOP nomination — and avoid a [contested Republican National Convention](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html?%5Fr=0) in July. Nevertheless, many anti-Trump forces won’t relent. “We are convinced that Trump can be stopped short of 1,237,” Club for Growth spokesman Doug Sachtleben told the [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org). Sachtleben said the conservative organization, which was the first group to start airing [attack ads against Trump](http://www.clubforgrowth.org/election-news/club-for-growth-action-launches-tv-ads-exposing-trump-in-iowa/) last fall, will be targeting Indiana, where [polls show a close race](http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2016-indiana-presidential-republican-primary). The group is also eyeing [delegate-rich California](http://www.nationalreview.com/article/434542/california-republican-primary-preview), which holds its primary on June 7. California, Sachtleben added, “is ultimately where we believe this race will come down to.” To date, the Club for Growth has spent more than $9.7 million attacking Trump, according to federal campaign finance filings. Both its super PAC and 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofit arm have participated in the barrage. In addition to the Club for Growth, a [host of other conservative groups](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/27/19599/top-10-sponsors-anti-trump-tv-ads) have joined the anti-Trump chorus. Some of these organizations have spent millions of dollars opposing Trump while others have made relatively token expenditures. Among them are super PACs devoted to other GOP candidates, as well as a solely anti-Trump super PAC. Known as [Our Principles PAC](http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/our-principles-pac/), this anti-Trump group was [founded by](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/top-former-romney-aide-launches-anti-trump-super-pac-218071) veteran Republican strategist Katie Packer, who helped run Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Our Principles PAC alone has spent more than $16 million opposing Trump — more than any other group. Its largest donors are [Marlene and Joe Ricketts](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/02/29/19382/chicago-cubs-co-owner-takes-brickbat-trumps-immigration-record), co-owners of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, who have combined to give $5.5 million. Republican megadonor and hedge fund magnate [Paul Singer](http://www.forbes.com/profile/paul-singer/) has also so far given $1.5 million to Our Principles PAC. For their parts, the three pro-Cruz super PACs — [Keep the Promise I](http://www.factcheck.org/tag/keep-the-promise-i/), [Stand for Truth](http://www.factcheck.org/2016/02/stand-for-truth/) and [Trusted Leadership PAC](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/04/ted-cruz-new-super-pac-trusted-leadership/81306006/) — have combined to spend about $2.6 million against Trump, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Meanwhile, two super PACs supporting Ohio Gov. [John Kasich](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/22/17209/9-things-know-about-john-kasich) — [New Day for America](http://www.factcheck.org/2016/01/new-day-for-america/) and [New Day Independent Media](http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/07/a%5Fnew%5Ffundraising%5Fgroup%5Fforms.html) — have combined to spend about $287,000 so far attacking Trump. Some of these ads, which featured a hippopotamus, [alleged](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2-Qh6mD95o) that Trump is a “hippo-crit” who “repeatedly says one thing \[and\] does another.” Others [criticized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvUvao4TvmE) Trump’s online education company as a “scam” and argued that Trump will “scam America too.” Still others [called](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5Fyyf-NHfEkg) Trump “too reckless and dangerous” to be president. “If Republicans want to win, we have to nominate someone who can actually defeat \[Democratic Party presidential front-runner\] Hillary \[Clinton\],” New Day for America spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp told the [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org). “If Trump is the GOP nominee, we will lose the White House, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate and countless down-ticket races, not to mention Trump is entirely unprepared to hold the highest office in the world.” Sustained anti-Trump advertising didn’t begin [until February](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/26/19593/how-many-tv-ads-have-attacked-donald-trump), a month during which roughly one-quarter of the ads in the GOP presidential race were critical of Trump, according to a [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org) review of Kantar Media/CMAG data, a firm that monitors advertising on broadcast television and national — but not local — cable. Anti-Trump TV ads represented [nearly half](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/26/19593/how-many-tv-ads-have-attacked-donald-trump) the ads in the GOP race during March. The figure currently hovers [near 30 percent](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/26/19593/how-many-tv-ads-have-attacked-donald-trump) so far in April. Prior to February, blasting Trump wasn’t many conservatives’ top priority. As of Jan. 31, the day before the Iowa caucuses, which [Trump narrowly lost to Cruz](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/us/ted-cruz-wins-republican-caucus.html?%5Fr=0), just [6.5 percent](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/26/19593/how-many-tv-ads-have-attacked-donald-trump) of TV ads in the GOP presidential race had criticized Trump. At that juncture, [more than a dozen candidates](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/10/16/18631/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far) were still competing in the Republican field, including well-funded former Florida Gov. [Jeb Bush](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/15/17142/12-things-know-about-jeb-bush) and [Ben Carson](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/05/04/17280/9-things-know-about-ben-carson), a retired neurosurgeon who briefly led Trump in national polls late last year. “Early on, most campaigns were more focused on building up their own candidate in a crowded field than taking down Trump, whose popularity they likely did not fully understand,” said [Jay Goodliffe](https://fhssfaculty.byu.edu/FacultyPage.aspx?id=jmg49), a professor of political science at Brigham Young University in Utah. “Before February, there were no elections, so the Republican campaigns and allied groups could hope that Trump’s support would be less strong once his supporters had to go to the polls.” Elizabeth Wilner, the Kantar Media executive who oversees the firm’s political ad tracking project, added that the delay in anti-Trump advertising seemed to come from “a combination of denial and fear — denial that he could become the nominee and fear of messing with the bull.” Trump often delights in prodding his political opponents, both in word and tweet. That includes big-money bankrollers who dare oppose him. For example, he tweeted out an [admonition to the Ricketts family](http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/donald-trump-tweet-targets-ricketts-family-after-super-pac-disclosure/article%5Fde5ce568-d983-11e5-9118-d75f7694e4a1.html) that they “better be careful” once media outlets reported the Ricketts were funding an anti-Trump super PAC. Amid the contentious primary, one presidential contender — [more than any other candidate](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/27/19599/top-10-sponsors-anti-trump-tv-ads), including Republicans — has attacked Trump in campaign ads: Democrat [Hillary Clinton](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/12/17107/12-things-know-about-hillary-clinton). To date, Clinton has sponsored nearly 8,000 ads that criticize Trump, including dozens of Spanish-language ads that aired as recently as this week in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, which both conducted primaries on Tuesday. Such activity closely aligns with Clinton’s rhetorical pivot Tuesday away from Democratic primary opponent [Bernie Sanders](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/30/17261/12-things-know-about-bernie-sanders) — he [almost certainly](http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/election-2016/delegate-targets/democrats/) can’t catch Clinton, but [isn’t quitting](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-mid-atlantic-democratic-primaries-20160426-story.html) — and toward the general election. “Let’s go forward. Let’s win the nomination, and in July, let’s return as a unified party,” [Clinton said](http://www.phillyvoice.com/transcript-hillary-clintons-post-primary-speech-philadelphia/) during her victory speech Tuesday night in Philadelphia, which will also host the Democratic National Convention this summer. Clinton campaign spokesman Jesse Ferguson told the [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org) it was important to criticize Trump for his “divisive rhetoric and dangerous agenda.” Ferguson added: “We will continue to make the case about the damage his agenda would do and how Hillary Clinton is the toughest candidate to take him on and stop him.” _Dave Levinthal contributed to this report._ _This story is from the_ [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org/politics)_, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. Read more of its_ [_investigations_](http://www.publicintegrity.org/politics) _on the influence of money in politics or follow it on_ [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/publici)_._ ## Transcript I loved it when I heard it. I heard it last night at 11: 30. I was called and they said, sir, Kasich, we call him one for 41. I thought it was 38. [ LAUGH ] He's won one race in 41 states. One, okay. States and islands So I call him now, I have a new nickname for him. One for forty one, very soon it's gonna be one for forty six or seven [ APPLAUSE ] so he's going nowhere. And he keeps talking about how he does with Hillary Clinton. He hasn't had one negative ad yet. When they put in the first negative ad about him, he's gonna collapse like a rock, wait till you see this, boom. [ APPLAUSE ] I don't think he knows. Did you see him? He has a news conference all the time when he's eating. I have never seen a human being eat in such a disgusting fashion. [ APPLAUSE ] I'm always telling my young son, Barron. I'm always with my kids, all of them. I'd say, children, small little bites. Small This guy takes a pancake and he's shoving it in his mouth. It's disgusting. Do you want that for your President? I don't think so. [ APPLAUSE ] I don't think so it's dis, honestly it's disgusting. I watched Cruz this morning and he's all mixed up because he's losing so badly. And when he's under pressure he's like a basket case. So he's stuttering and he's stammering And I watched him and he's saying, I want jobs and I want the economy and I want this and I want that. All stuff that I've been saying for years! And he just started saying it. He doesn't know anything about the economy. He doesn't know anything about jobs. He was a failed senator. He couldn't get anything passed. Nothing. Look at his legislation. He got nothing passed, and now he wants to be. All he is, is a guy that will go down and stand and filibuster for a day or two and the other Senator's all look. When's he getting off the floor, Jim? Guy's a pain in the ****. 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