EXCLUSIVE — An organization supporting continued United States support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion is debuting an ad campaign during the Republican National Committee's first primary debate on Wednesday.
Freedom at Home and Abroad, which encourages bipartisan support for Ukraine, will display a new ad on a mobile billboard that will circle the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday and Thursday. The ad will compete with an opposing campaign from the Heritage Foundation, which is urging candidates to oppose additional military aid to the country.
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"China is watching us in Ukraine," the billboard reads. "Don't show weakness. Stand strong."
A photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands is featured in the ad, in front of a Chinese backdrop.
Freedom at Home and Abroad is registered with the Department of Justice as a foreign agent on behalf of Campaign for Freedom Ltd., a company located in the United Kingdom.
News of the ad campaign comes the day after the Washington Examiner exclusively reported on Heritage's ad, debuting during the Ruthless podcast's debate pre-show on Wednesday.
Heritage's video compares continued aid to Ukraine to the federal response to the destructive and fatal wildfire in Hawaii.
A recent poll showed that Americans believe Congress shouldn't authorize more funding to support Ukraine. Additionally, 51%
now say the U.S. has done enough for the country, a departure from February 2022, when 62% believed it should be doing more for Ukraine during the war.
The group's billboard campaign is accompanied by a five-figure ad buy that begins Wednesday evening in early caucus and primary states Iowa and Nevada. The video ad will run for a week in the states and will appear across platforms such as smart TVs and mobile phones.
According to Freedom at Home and Abroad, it has been conducting research among American focus groups and found that highlighting how U.S. actions in Ukraine appear to China is the most motivating in terms of rallying support for Ukraine.
"The Chinese Communist Party has a plan. They want to spread Chinese style control across the globe," the ad says, focusing the message around China. "The first battles are happening in Ukraine right now."
"After signing a big treaty, China and Russia are working together to chip away at American interests," it adds. "They're waiting for America's leaders to show weakness. They're watching. They're testing us."
It then urges U.S. leaders to "stand with Ukraine against Russia and China."
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The group is also planning a similar ad after the debate that would play on gas station pump screens in Iowa, where candidates will need to fuel their campaign buses while in the state.
Ukraine aid is one of the issues that candidates on the Republican debate stage appear to be more divided on than others. The subject is expected to come up during the event Wednesday night, and both Freedom at Home and Abroad and Heritage are among the groups hoping to set the stage for the discourse.