Donald Trump’s debut TV spot released on Monday promises Republican primary voters that he will “stop illegal immigration by building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for.”
The narration is superimposed over footage of about a dozen people crossing some sort of border.
The only problem with that is the border is not actually in Mexico or Texas or Arizona, but Morocco.
The Pulitzer-prize winning staff at Politifact did a little digging and found that the footage actually aired in May 2014 on an Italian television network and the migrants featured in it were crossing into into the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the north African coast, only about 5,200 miles away from Mexico.
But according to Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, the use of Moroccans as opposed to Mexicans was on purpose.
“No s–t it’s in Morocco. The footage was intentional. It’s intended to demonstrate the impact of an open border,” he told CNN. “If we don’t do something to build a wall and stop illegal immigration, that’s what our country’s going to look like.”
15 Times Donald Trump Courted Controversy (Photos)
The U.S. Justice Department accused Trump of not renting to minority tenants in 1973.
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Trump was accused of dooming the fledgling U.S. Football League in 1984 when he insisted it go head to head with the NFL with a fall game schedule.
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Trump sparked a feud with Rosie O'Donnell in 2006, calling the comedian "disgusting" and "a slob," among other things
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In September 2010, Trump accused the imam of a proposed mosque near NYC's Ground Zero of using religion to bargain for a better real estate price.
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Joining the dubious "birther" movement, Trump fought to get President Obama to release his long-form birth certificate in April 2011.
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Trump earned the ire of environmentalists when he unveiled plans for a massive golf course in Scotland in July 2012.
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Trump upset gay rights groups when he compared gay marriage to golf in February 2013.
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In August 2013 Trump was the subject of a civil suit for allegedly false promises made to students of his Trump University.
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A new waterfront Chicago skyscraper opened in 2014 despite widespread complaints about the 20-foot-high sign bearing his name.
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Trump began a feud with Russell Brand after seeing the British comedian on a talk show and disliking what he saw.
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Trump minced no words when he tweeted about the "thugs" rioting in Baltimore in April 2015 following the death of an African American man in police custody.
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Announcing his bid for the GOP nomination in June 2015, Trump set off a media firestorm when he called Mexican immigrants criminals and "rapists."
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Trump reportedly paid actors $50 a head to attend his presidential announcement speech in June 2015.
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Billionaire’s recent public image problems are latest in long line of troubles
The U.S. Justice Department accused Trump of not renting to minority tenants in 1973.