--- title: Donald Trump: 'Why Trump?' Ads Pokes Fun at Hands description: A new ad campaign is hitting Donald Trump where it hurts—his manhood. canonical: https://time.com/4328868/why-donald-trump-ad-campaign-hands-manhood/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-13T00:14:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:10.069Z article:section: Politics og:title: New 'Why Trump?' Ads Mock Candidate's Hands, Manhood og:description: "I like macho guys — take-charge, competent guys — guys with big hands" og:url: https://time.com/4328868/why-donald-trump-ad-campaign-hands-manhood/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4e08fabc8ac876c/6988921f0a4a2202ff9c98e0/donald-trump-brexit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump speaks to supporters and the media at Trump Tower in Manhattan following his victory in the Indiana primary on May 3, 2016 in New York, New York. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New 'Why Trump?' Ads Mock Candidate's Hands, Manhood twitter:description: "I like macho guys — take-charge, competent guys — guys with big hands" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4e08fabc8ac876c/6988921f0a4a2202ff9c98e0/donald-trump-brexit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New 'Why Trump?' Ads Mock Candidate's Hands, Manhood > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White May 13, 2016 12:14 AM UTC  Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump speaks to supporters and the media at Trump Tower in Manhattan following his victory in the Indiana primary on May 3, 2016 in New York, New York. Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump speaks to supporters and the media at Trump Tower in Manhattan following his victory in the Indiana primary on May 3, 2016 in New York, New York. Spencer Platt—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White May 13, 2016 12:14 AM UTC A [new ad campaign](http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/california/2016/05/8599019/guys-big-hands-top-gop-ad-man-launches-campaign-unsell-trump?cmpid=sf) is hitting Donald Trump where it hurts—his manhood. The series of four videos was concocted by Bob Gardner, a longtime Republican adman, to “unsell” Trump’s [presumptive GOP presidential nomination](http://time.com/4328160/paul-ryan-donald-trump-meeting-press-conference-transcript/), according to Politico. One of the spots is a [30-second ad featuring a young woman doing yoga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsao8UlfXho&list=PLTWuEV1wcDpUrqNmFcbocB5lV13V3k-Yh) and talking candidly about Trump and his [“small hands.”](http://time.com/4250413/trump-has-tiny-hands-pac/) “I like macho guys — take-charge, competent guys — guys with big hands. Real men,’’ she tells the camera. “But real men don’t go around dissing Muslims and Mexicans. … They’re not bullies. And real men don’t talk about their size. … Guys like Donald Trump who brag about how big they are? You can’t be president, Donny boy. You just don’t measure up.” Gardner told Politico that the ads were originally intended to air in California—which was supposed to be the site of a final GOP showdown before Texas Sen. Ted Cruz [dropped out of the race](http://time.com/4317299/ted-cruz-drops-out-ends-campaign-indiana-primary-analysis/)—but he decided to put them online for all to see on Youtube. Even Gardner isn’t sure if the ads will have any effect on stopping Trump from [becoming the Republican nominee at the July convention](http://time.com/4316824/republican-party-donald-trump-ted-cruz-indiana-convention-primary/). “This year has been so unpredictable that I hate to hazard a guess,’’ he told _Politico_. “I and most others have been wrong at every turn.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4328868/why-donald-trump-ad-campaign-hands-manhood/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4328868/why-donald-trump-ad-campaign-hands-manhood/"},"headline":"New 'Why Trump?' 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