Super Bowl 2020: Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg face off in rival ads

Each campaign spent an estimated $10m

Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg faced off with rival political ads during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Each man shelled out an estimated $10m for 60 seconds of air time during the major sporting event – which is typically one of the most-watched programmes on TV in the US.

The Trump campaign went with two 30-second ads. The first one, about criminal justice reform, aired early during the game.

It featured Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who was once sentenced to life in prison for a non-violent drug conviction – and freed by Mr Trump after Kim Kardashian lobbied the White House about the case.

The president’s other ad was more general and focused on his three years in office, exploring themes such as unemployment and the state of the economy.

The Bloomberg campaign adopted a different strategy, buying a single, 60-second ad slot instead of two 30-second ones.

Mr Bloomberg’s spot centred around gun violence. It was narrated by Calandrian Simpson Kemp, whose son George Kemp Jr was fatally shot in 2013.

Ms Kemp described her son’s passion for football, echoing the night’s main event – unlike Mr Trump’s ad, which stuck more to a classic campaign ad format.

Mr Bloomberg is one of 11 Democrats hoping to secure the party’s nomination ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Super Bowl ads cost an estimated $5m per 30 seconds of air time this year.