Last Updated on February 2, 2020
The first half of the Super Bowl was largely devoid of the political statements that have become a staple over the past few years, but as the third quarter kicked off billionaire Democrat Mike Bloomberg appeared on screen to promote his presidential campaign.
Bloomberg and President Donald Trump have both purchased $10 million Super Bowl ads, meaning Super Bowl LIV is the first Super Bowl to feature dueing political ads.
Both ads have been criticized for the heavy handed insertion of politics into an otherwise apolitical, celebratory atmosphere.
The Bloomberg ad appears to be considered particularly tone deaf. The commercial features a woman named Calandrian Kemp talking about her son George, who was shot dead at school.
The emphasis of the ad is gun control, a staple of Bloomberg’s political portfolio since his tenure as New York mayor.
READ MORE: Photo Surfaces of Dan Crenshaw Cozying Up to Moms Demand Action.
“I heard Mike Bloomberg speak. He’s been in this fight for so long,” Kemp says as haunting music plays in the background. “He heard mothers crying, so he started fighting.”
“When I heard Mike was stepping into the ring, I knew we had a dog in the fight,” Kemp muses. “I know Mike is not afraid of the gun lobby. They’re scared of him, and they should be.”
Pictures of the Moms Demand Action gun hoplophobia support group, which was founded and funded by Bloomberg, are shown onscreen.