“In the criminal justice system, people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and district attorneys who prosecute offenders.”
It’s the opening line for long-running TV drama Law & Order, but on Monday night at primetime, it wasn’t heard on the police procedural but at the Democratic National Convention.
“This is the story of Donald Trump,” the narrator continued, accompanied by a similar soundtrack to the show it was parodying.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The DNC, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago, and the Kamala Harris campaign have embraced themes once perceived to be the domain of the Republican Party, from law and order to freedom and patriotism. (The DNC also debuted an ad titled “Freedom” earlier on Monday.)
The new Law & Order ad—which debuted at the DNC as an introduction to a speech by Rep. Jamie Raskin, who was a lead prosecutor of Trump’s second impeachment trial—reflects a narrative that the Harris campaign has particularly leaned into: contrasting Harris’ prosecutorial background with Trump’s felony convictions and slate of ongoing criminal cases.
During her stints as district attorney of San Francisco and attorney general of California, Harris developed a tough-on-crime reputation, though she has also later tried to frame her experience as that of a “progressive prosecutor.” Since Harris embarked on her 2024 presidential bid, her campaign has sought to portray her as someone well-equipped to bring Trump to justice.
Read More: The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris
“His entire life, Trump has believed he’s above the law, that no one would ever dare hold him accountable. He lies, he rips off workers, he sexually abuses women,” the voiceover continued, along with photos of a younger Trump. “He cheats in business. He cheated on his wife with a porn star and paid her off so the American people wouldn’t find out during an election.”
“But in the American justice system, ordinary people have managed to find him accountable time and time again. For the first time in history we have a convicted felon running for President. And to take on this case, we need a President who has spent her life prosecuting perpetrators like Donald Trump.”
The video was met with thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd at the United Center in Chicago and has entertained social media users, too.
