Donald Trump wants to put America, and its workers, first. A new Super Bowl commercial from US auto-accessories brand WeatherTech follows the US president’s lead. Beneath a billowing American flag, American workers erect the walls of a new American factory that will be used to manufacture American goods. “At WeatherTech, we built our new factory right here in America,” the commercial concludes, in a written message. “Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?”
WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil dismissed the idea that the ad could be perceived as anti-immigrant in an interview with AdWeek, even with its emphasis on building walls. But he agreed the ad is unequivocally in support of American workers. “Aren’t we supposed to put America first, and put our own citizens first?” MacNeil told the trade publication. “If my neighbor doesn’t have a job, then soon I won’t have a job.”
The company put its real workers in last year’s Super Bowl commercial, which also emphasized American manufacturing.
The latest ad reportedly promotes WeatherTech’s newest facility in the US city of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Trump has praised American manufacturers like Chrysler and Toyota that have announced new plants in the US during his term, and condemned those who continue to manufacture abroad.
WeatherTech is the first brand in the Super Bowl thus far to strike a political chord. Other advertisers appearing in Sunday’s (Feb. 4) game—the nation’s largest televised event—have placed safer bets on topics like clean water, togetherness, or plain, old-fashioned humor.