Is there some kind of precedent for Presidents to run non-election ads against their opponents?

so I guess it’s perfectly legal.

I'm kind of surprised nobody's thought of that one before

but it seems like this is something that needs to be changed/outlawed.

...what this means is that Trump2020 can buy ads on any topic with any content. I believe if the campaign is willing to meeting the station's price, they have to take the ad. I know if they take the ad, the station is not allowed to edit any content.

The only caveat is that if it's a campaign ad, it's got to include the candidates statement of approval.

That how he could do it.

More likely - it's a PAC and thanks to Citizens United and other whacked out decisions, a PAC can pretty much do anything they want as long as they don't endorse any specific candidate.

did have the "I'm Donald Trump and I approve this message" disclaimer.

I would venture that this was a campaign ad.

This bastard never pays for anything out of his own pockets so he is charging it to taxpayers in the face of his stupid shutdown. He is a truly enormous motherfucker.

His 2020 campaign already has raised over 60 million dollars.

That was seed money for 2020.. god I hate these deplorables and the manipulators funding the Orange s.o.b.

what a hideous pile of excrement he is.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/12/12/18136748/nancy-pelosi-chuck-schumer-trump-government-shutdown

How Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer got Trump to own a government shutdown
Pelosi and Schumer didn’t know their meeting with Trump would be televised. They still used it to their advantage

"Please Mr President, we don't need the Trump shutdown, my dad needs to be paid for his job as a Border Security Agent, or we will lose our home."