Florida lawyer launches ‘million dollar-plus’ Trump billboard campaign

ORLANDO — Drivers on I-4 passing the inescapable billboards for law firms are getting an additional message in between clients touting seven-figure jury awards: ads for Donald Trump.

Orlando attorney Dan Newlin has doubled down on his firm’s controversial Super Bowl commercial, in which he wore a red “Make America Great Again” hat in an ad that wasn’t otherwise political, by launching what he said was a “million dollar-plus” campaign to place electronic billboards promoting the Republican presidential bid not only in Florida but in three crucial swing states.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of a groundbreaking digital media campaign across Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada and growing,” Newlin told the Orlando Sentinel in an e-mailed statement. “[It] consists of over one hundred large digital display boards in key states and cities across America.”

The Trump ads also include, in the lower right corner, the 1-800 number for Newlin’s law firm.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Newlin has reported spending more than $200,000 as of Wednesday with three different billboard companies, including Outfront Media in Orlando, Clear Channel Outdoor in Atlanta and Lamar Advertising in Daytona Beach. The contributions “in support of Donald J. Trump” are listed as independent expenditures unaffiliated with the campaign.

The digital Trump billboards, which alternate with electronic ads for Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys, feature Trump’s standard dark blue background and red border surrounding his name in giant white letters.

The ads include multiple taglines, including “Putting American Families First,” “Turning Setbacks into Comebacks,” “Inspiring Citizens to Dream Big,” “Achieve the American Dream,” and “Make America Safe Again!”

Newlin said the ads had “positive messaging,” adding that as president again Trump would immediately start “deporting migrant criminals.” He has cited immigration and border issues as reasons for his support of Trump.

“It is an incredible honor to be part of such a significant endeavor, one that will go down in history as a testament to the power of patriotism and the American spirit,” Newlin wrote.

Trial lawyers such as Newlin have tended to lean Democratic, and Newlin’s past political contribution history included $150,000 in 2018 to the Florida Democratic Party and thousands of dollars to Democrats such as Orange County property appraiser Amy Mercado and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee.

But beginning in the last few years, Newlin’s donations have swung to the right, including $100,000 each in 2023 to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign and the Defending Conservatism and Democracy PAC. Trump also raised more than $8 million at a campaign fundraiser held at Newlin’s home near Windermere in April.

His firm’s Super Bowl ad, which aired in the Orlando market before the game, featured Newlin wearing Trump’s signature MAGA hat while thanking America’s veterans.

Newlin, whose firm is located in heavily Democratic-leaning Orange County, was slammed online for the Super Bowl ad, for which he said “the decision to include political elements in the ad was a personal one and not endorsed by my law firm.”

“You are not listening to the right people, Dan,” one commenter wrote on X. “Good luck with your next quarterly revenue statement.”

Another reply stated, “Thanks for letting me know who you really are. No way I would ever use your services now.”

Gregory Koger, a professor of political science at the University of Miami, said it wasn’t surprising “that someone with a great deal of wealth would want to use some of that money to influence the political process. That happens all the time in America.”

For example, John Morgan, head of Orlando firm Morgan & Morgan, a prominent Democratic fundraiser, was the leading contributor for two successful ballot amendments to raise the minimum wage and to legalize medical marijuana. But his advocacy has mostly remained separate from his firm, save for occasional press conferences at its offices for the non-partisan initiatives.

“It is intriguing that Newlin is doing this in his own name and using his own for-profit business,” Koger said of the Trump ads. “A lot of people who are in that situation of having a lot of wealth and wanting to use it to support a favorite candidate will try to do so less visibly to avoid public scrutiny, backlash, or boycotts.”

He cited prominent Trump supporter Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, who exhausted his resources in unsuccessfully attempting to prove the 2020 election was fraudulent.

“A lot of people wouldn’t buy a MyPillow these days, even if they are in the market for pillows, because they know the founder of that firm is closely associated with Donald Trump,” Koger said. “Newlin may be jeopardizing his own firm’s interests.”

Newlin’s social media, however, appeared to show no concerns. On X, just like his billboards, he alternated plugs for his firm with plugs for Trump. “Attorney Dan Newlin got me a check for $500,000,” a client boasts in one ad, preceded by a posted photo of Newlin’s daughter standing next to Trump, giving a thumbs up.