Former President Donald Trump’s campaign recently ran digital ads on Facebook and Instagram, targeting Georgia voters. Meant to rally support in the crucial swing state of Georgia, it urged, “ATTENTION GEORGIA: I am humbly asking you to stop what you are doing and check your voter registration status. Only a handful of votes will decide this election.” The ad, however, made a major geographical blunder that left many scratching their heads. It featured picturesque mountain scenery that belonged not to the Peach State but to the country of Georgia in Eastern Europe.
In light of the same, netizens flocked to ridicule the GOP campaign. An X user, @jwl1354 , stated, “Just when you thought the Trump campaign couldn’t get any dumber…they actually don’t know where the state of Georgia is in their latest campaign ad.” Another user, @DanasMuse1 , mocked, “Trump probably had one of his grandchildren surf the internet for a nice pic of Georgia.” @StansfieldTrish chimed, “OMG Hahaha. So *not* surprising. A generous way of reading this is not that the Trump staff is stupid or ignorant, but that there are so few paid employees, [that] they have used AI. Generated prompts like ‘Georgia,’ ‘landscape,’ [and] ‘mountains.’β
The Trump campaign has been running an ad in the state of Georgia, but using this as the image.ππ€£ pic.twitter.com/pBjbkUrD32
β Hey, Dave! (@davegreenidge57) September 23, 2024
@UlfMichaelBeck1 opined, “Of course, there is no lack of ridicule. But it’s also complicated. With an election advertisement, the Trump team has now made a big fool of itself in the US state of Georgia because a picture pointing to the voter registration is the Soviet Republic of Georgia. Dementia?” Meanwhile, @NewMillenniumR1 called Trump names, “Trump uses pics of Georgia the country instead of the state in ad fail. Trump is a moron. Ignorant. Sub-literate.”
Trump probably had one of his grandchildren surf the internet for a nice pic of Georgia. π€£ https://t.co/6O2Ogn6avu
β βπππ«πβπ° ππ²π°π’β (@DanasMuse1) September 24, 2024
The image showcased the majestic Caucasus Mountains of the former Soviet Republic and not the rolling hills of the American South. The stock photo used in the ad was taken by photographer Andrew Mayovskyy in Upper Svanetia, as per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Ron Filipkowski, a political commentator, quipped, “They are a well-oiled machine.” He added, “The country of Georgia is on the southern border of Russia and the eastern border of Turkey. Although it looks beautiful in the Trump campaign’s photo, it is not a swing state in our election,” as per Meidas News .
OMG π³ Hahaha So *not* surprising. A generous way of reading this is not that the Trump staff is stupid or ignorant, but that there are so few paid employees, they have use AI. Generated prompts like βGeorgia,β βlandscape,β βmountainsβ and public domain.β https://t.co/ULBo7RB4yw
β Will oβ the Wisp Trishβ€οΈπΊπ¦βοΈπ½ π π·π§©πΎπ πΆ (@StansfieldTrish) September 24, 2024
The consequences of the mix-up could be grave given Georgia’s importance in the upcoming election. The state narrowly supported President Joe Biden in 2020 and has voted Democratic in three straight Senate races. According to recent polling data from The New York Times and Siena College , Trump now leads by a tiny margin in Georgia. He has 49% support, while Vice President Kamala Harris has 45%. So, any voters lost could have huge rippling effects.
This isn’t the first time the Trump campaign has stumbled in its efforts to connect with Georgia voters. Just after the presidential election in 2020, as the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign was heating up to try to prevent the electoral tally from being certified, a senior Trump associate trying to gather followers to protest in Atlanta, misspelled the state’s name. The ad gaffe comes at a time when both campaigns are intensifying their efforts in Georgia.