Staff Reports
President Trump released a high-energy March Madness-themed ad on April 5, 2025, leaning into basketball fever to rally supporters. The ad features Trump’s signature combative style, framing political battles as a championship tournament where “only the strong survive” and promising to “drain the swamp bracket.” While full details of the ad’s content aren’t public, it appears to weaponize sports culture to criticize opponents as “weak players” while casting Trump allies as championship contenders.
This comes amid Trump’s increased engagement with March Madness culture. Earlier in the tournament, he jokingly suggested backdating a bracket after most picks were eliminated by upsets, while his 17-year-old granddaughter Kai Trump garnered attention for correctly predicting Duke and UConn as champions. The Biden White House had previously released its own March Madness metaphor video framing policy victories as tournament wins, suggesting both parties see value in basketball-themed messaging.
