Politics | June 29, 2017 4:23 pm

NRA Ad Calls on Members to Defend Trump With ‘Clenched Fist of Truth’

Viral ad campaign sparks controversy for its strident call to fight anti-Trump 'violence of lies.'

NRA Ad Calls on Members to Fight Off Trump Protestors With 'Clenched Fist of Truth'

National Rifle Association members look over pistols in the Remington display at the 146th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 29, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. With more than 800 exhibitors, the convention is the largest annual gathering for the NRA's more than 5 million members. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

By Will Levith

Can an advertisement incite violence? Sarah Palin sure doesn’t think so. But the National Rifle Association’s latest ad has drawn criticism for its belligerent tone about the need to “save our country” juxtaposed against scenes of recent anti-Trump protests.

Per Newsweek, the ad, which ran on the NRA’s Facebook page and has been viewed nearly 3.2 million times, calls on current members (and future ones) to defend President Trump and “fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth.”

These “lies,” according to NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who bitterly reads the script in the video, come from “liberal” media, schools, movie stars, singers, comedians, awards shows, President Obama, and protestors.

As ThinkProgress has reported, the video has been around since April, when it was played at the NRA’s Leadership Forum.

Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, accused the NRA of exploiting the recent Congressional baseball game shooting for its own financial benefit.

So they’re trying to exploit Alexandria and cutting disgusting ads to make people afraid and divide people even more https://t.co/u2yLWVarjt

— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) June 29, 2017