Clinton offers unifying message in first general election ad

Hillary Clinton is opening her general election campaign by casting herself as a uniting force against the divisiveness of GOP rival Donald Trump.

The first general election ad released by her campaign splices clips of Trump threatening protesters and mocking a disabled New York Times reporter with scenes of Clinton visiting factories, greeting diverse groups of voters and stepping off a plane as secretary of state.

She ends the one-minute spot saying: “What kind of America do we want to be? Dangerously divided or strong and united? I believe we are always stronger together.”

Aides say Clinton will make a similar argument on Monday in Cleveland before heading to Pittsburgh and Wisconsin for campaign events. The ad, titled “Who We Are,” will air in battleground states starting on Thursday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ891SoIsdQ

Hours after it was released online, Trump took to twitter to slam Clinton for the ad, roundly denying that he had ridiculed the disabled journalist.

Clinton made a false ad about me where I was imitating a reporter GROVELING after he changed his story. I would NEVER mock disabled. Shame!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016

In the aftermath of the Sunday morning mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub, Clinton postponed her first joint campaign event with US President Barack Obama.

Clinton had been scheduled to appear with Obama in Wisconsin on Wednesday, after he endorsed her as the Democratic candidate for November’s presidential election, but this has been pushed back, her campaign said.

It was unclear whether Clinton’s other campaign appearances this week would also be postponed.