--- description: The video shows the former President's head block out the sun as he calls his 2024 campaign “the most important moment in human history." title: Trump Posts Bizarre Solar Eclipse Campaign Ad image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt486d33cd3a25dc46/698a5575cabb1d99b8e53fee/GettyImages-836325138.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Donald Trump](/tag/donald-trump/) ## Donald Trump Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Trump Posts Bizarre Solar Eclipse Campaign Ad, With His Head Blocking Out the Sun  by [Armani Syed](/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Apr 8, 2024 11:43 AM CUT  U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife first lady Melania Trump wear special glasses to view the solar eclipse at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife first lady Melania Trump wear special glasses to view the solar eclipse at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C.Mark Wilson/Getty Images  by [Armani Syed](/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Apr 8, 2024 11:43 AM CUT In a new and bizarre campaign ad, Donald Trump’s head takes the place of the moon and blocks out the sun in a nod to Monday’s [solar eclipse](https://time.com/tag/eclipse/ "undefined"). The campaign video was [shared](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112233444096118416 "undefined") on Truth Social on Sunday, and begins with the words, “the most important moment in human history is taking place in 2024.” It shows an image of the glowing sun as astonished crowds gather to watch the solar eclipse with protective eyewear on. As a huge shadow is cast on Earth, Trump’s head comes to the fore. “We will save America. And make it great again,” the video concludes, a nod to his 2024 presidential campaign. The video invokes visuals and the opening score from Stanley Kubrick’s _2001: A Space Odyssey_. The eclipse is set to [sweep across](https://time.com/6960270/solar-eclipse-2024-path-of-totality-map/ "undefined") Mexico, the United States, and Canada on Monday afternoon. As the moon passes between the sun and Earth, a moment of almost total darkness will be cast for a number of minutes. The event will not occur again in North America until 2044, but it last occurred seven years ago, during the first year of Trump’s presidential term. Trump made [headlines and meme pages](https://time.com/4909526/trump-eclipse-meme/ "undefined") after he ignored the advice of experts by looking directly at the eclipse without protective eyewear. His wife, then First-Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron were also present, and both wore glasses to observe the eclipse. Experts say that looking at the eclipse with a naked eye can cause blurred vision, floaters, blind spots, or low vision. In some extreme cases, where exposure is extended, retinal burns can lead to blindness. **Read More:** [_How to Safely Watch the Total Eclipse_](https://time.com/6958424/how-to-watch-solar-eclipse-safely/ "undefined") “Solar retinopathy is a photochemical injury to your retina,” Dr. Nicole Bajic, a surgical ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic, [previously told TIME](https://time.com/6958424/how-to-watch-solar-eclipse-safely/ "undefined"). Sunday’s video campaign is the latest in a string of unusual statements the former President has made recently. During a Saturday night fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL, Trump claimed that the incumbent President Joe Biden [“literally” soiled](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-biden-soiled-himself-resolute-desk-b2525018.html "undefined") himself in the Oval Office at the White House. Trump’s speech at the fundraiser lasted 45 minutes, during which he mocked Biden’s policies, before referencing the widely recognizable Resolute desk, a gift from Queen Victoria in 1880. “Ronald Reagan used it, others used it. And he’s using it,” he said of Biden. “It’s been soiled. And I mean that literally, which is sad,” he commented. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6964573/trump-bizarre-solar-eclipse-campaign-ad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6964573/trump-bizarre-solar-eclipse-campaign-ad/"},"headline":"Trump Posts Bizarre Solar Eclipse Campaign Ad, With His Head Blocking Out the Sun","datePublished":"2024-04-08T11:43:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:25:40.966Z","description":"The video shows the former President's head block out the sun as he calls his 2024 campaign “the most important moment in human history.\"","url":"https://time.com/6964573/trump-bizarre-solar-eclipse-campaign-ad/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News","Eclipse"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt486d33cd3a25dc46/698a5575cabb1d99b8e53fee/GettyImages-836325138.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Armani Syed","jobTitle":"Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau.","url":"https://time.com/author/armani-syed/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt486d33cd3a25dc46/698a5575cabb1d99b8e53fee/GettyImages-836325138.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Trump Views The Eclipse From The White House","caption":"President Trump Views The Eclipse From The White House","creditText":"Mark Wilson/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6964573/trump-bizarre-solar-eclipse-campaign-ad/","name":"Trump Posts Bizarre Solar Eclipse Campaign Ad, With His Head Blocking Out the Sun"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Safely Watch the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse","description":"Unsafe eclipse glasses were a significant problem in 2017, causing online retailers like Amazon to issue refunds and face a lawsuit by customers who purchased unsafe glasses. 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