What Trump’s new website says about his campaign

New agenda, same-old strategy of owning the libs

Last week, Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign launched its official website with little fanfare. While most casual political observers missed the launch or just kept scrolling, the site does reveal some important features and focuses of the former President’s campaign. 

I’ll break those down + more in this week’s FWIW. But first…

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By the numbers

FWIW, here were the top-spending political advertisers on Facebook + Instagram last week:

A smattering of conservative media outlets and industry lobbying groups led political ad spending on Facebook and Instagram last week. 

On Tuesday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) surprised some political observers by launching a U.S. Senate campaign for the seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. If Feinstein retires as is expected, it will likely set off a crowded primary to replace her. Porter kicked off her campaign with a slew of email blasts, online fundraising ads, and a launch video on Tuesday - in hopes of raising a huge grassroots sum to dissuade others from jumping in the race.

Those efforts seem to have paid off. Her team raised over $1.3 million on launch day, and her allies even started an affiliated super PAC with an amazing name. 

Another top advertiser on Facebook last week was the House Accountability War Room, a new liberal group focused on - you guessed it - holding the new House GOP Majority accountable. The organization’s ads currently highlight some of the GOP’s greatest hits, including all of the George Santos drama. 

Meanwhile, here were the top-spending political advertisers on Google and YouTube last week:

For the third week in a row, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the top political advertiser nationwide on Google advertising. You can view his ads here >>

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From around the internet

• A Republican Digital Director reflects on a “meh” election cycle for their team: “I wish I had realized just how bad it was going to get for online fundraisers and adjusted my budget accordingly."

• Worth your time: Two former Senior Facebook policy staffers, Katie Harbath and Crystal Patterson, debated whether Donald Trump should be allowed back on the platform. 

• Do campaign teams matter? I missed this analysis from last month showing the different staffing levels between marquee 2022 midterm campaigns. 

• Garbage Day author Ryan Broderick notes that we’ve all apparently agreed to just keep using Twitter as it gets worse. 

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What Trump’s new website says about his campaign

“America’s Comeback starts RIGHT NOW…”

That’s the message that is front and center on former President Donald Trump’s new website, which was quietly launched last Monday.