Trump Approval Ads Use Foreign Models, Not U.S. Voters

These 20-second videos include tiny disclaimers that say “actual testimonial, actor portrayal." Still, they raise the question why a campaign that can fill arenas with supporters would have to buy stock footage of models. It’s a practice that, under different circumstances, Trump himself would likely blast as “fake news.” But political experts say that, while it’s not unusual for stock footage to find its way into ads. “As a producer, you want to control — you want people to look a certain way and you want them to sound a certain way,” said Jay Newell, a former cable TV executive who teaches advertising at Iowa State University. “The fact that the footage is from outside the U.S. makes it that much more embarrassing.”