John Adams and Friends Energy Tariff Television Campaign
Donation protected
This campaign’s Tactics and Strategy from March 30-April 2 was a significant factor in the exemption of all Canadian Products in Compliance with USMCA from Reciprocal Tariffs. The ad above has been discontinued and donations suspended since the primary goal of the campaign has been achieved. This Thank ad ran in select TV markets after the campaigns successful outcome :
ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN
My name is John Adams. I organized this campaign to buy television ads to fight back against the 10% Tariff on Canadian Energy. The inspiration for me to act actually came from the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith when she gave this advice to Canadian Leaders about how to leverage American political leaders as well as the American people to reverse the tariffs.
"Every Canadian Leader should be engaging with the American People, Governors, and members of Congress to use their power and Influence to reverse the Tariffs.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
I acted on that advice by launching a 4 day television ad and email campaign to convince President Trump, and his tariff team to reverse the 10% Energy tariff, exactly as Premier Smith asked for. I created the television ad at the opening of this fundraiser and paid to air it 20 times in Washington DC on FOX NEWS and CNN during the March 30, Sunday News Shows 3 days before President Trumps Liberation Day speech.
HOW WAS OUR AD DISTRIBUTED.: The ad ran only in the District of Columbia on the DC Zone of Comcast Xfinity Cable. That 68 square mile zone reaches a population of 678,972 and 321,556 households in the heart of America’s Governing Nerve-center. The DC Zone is comprised of single family homes, apartments, townhomes, condos and most U.S. Government building and the Whitehouse. Approximately 70% of those households receive their television signal from Comcast Xfinity cable which aired our ad.
WHO SAW OUR AD: The vast majority of U.S. Government employees, Senators, Representatives, Agency Heads, Cabinet officials, Whitehouse Staff etc. live and work in the District of Columbia. Most Tariff policy makers who watched the Sunday News Shows on CNN and FOX NEWS on March 30 would have seen our ad 3 days before President Trumps Liberation Day Speech. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent live in upscale areas of the District, as well as many other Commerce and Treasury department employees who make Tariff policy recommendations to President Trump. Because the ad aired 10 times on FOX NEWS and 10 times on CNN between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, every major news show on both networks aired our ad during commercial breaks, some multiple times. These were the same shows that the Trump Tariff Team were appearing on, while our ad was running during the commercial breaks, promoting the upcoming Liberation Day Speech and the announcement of a 10% Reciprocal Tariff on every Country that trades with the U.S. including Canada. Prior to our ads running Canadian Crude Oil was targeted for a 10% Tariff. The announcement of those tariffs was scheduled to be made 3 days after our ad campaign began. The Sunday ads followed by daily targeted emails dominated the airwaves and inboxes of U.S. Government Tariff Policy makers hearts and minds at the most critical time during the decision making process.
Direct Email Lobbying to the Trump Tariff Team. During the 3 days between the ad campaign and the speech every key member of the Trump Tariff Team received a daily email message preceded by a Voice Mail alert prior to office hours telling email recipients to look for our email explaining the reasons why a 10% Tariff on Canadian energy was bad for the United States.
Example of Email Message.
Primary Recipients were Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, with cc’s sent to Commerce Secretary Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Bessent, Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and Senior Trade Advisor Peter Navarro. Numerous additional other Trade staff working of Tariff issues were cc’d on the emails:
Good Morning Secretary Wright, Allow me to review once again just hours before President Trumps Rose Garden Tariff Announcement, why the final energy package he announces today should exempt Alberta Western Select Crude (WSC) from any Tariffs.
In order for the United States to achieve President Trumps goal of Energy Dominance, the U.S. must continue to maximize it’s own domestic supply of energy it uses for it’s own energy needs and sells to the world. At the same time the U.S. should increase it’s available supply to sell by purchasing even more highly discounted Western Canadian Select Crude Oil (WCS) from Alberta, Refining it, and selling it to China and other countries who need more oil supplies than they can currently produce on their own. Today the price U.S. refineries pay for domestic West Texas Intermediate (WTI) our most common domestic crude is $69.69 bbl. Those same refineries can purchase Western Canada Select from Alberta (WCS) for $57.01 bbl a discount of 18%.
Raising the price an unnecessary 10%
Reduces profits for US refineries
and Incentivizes Canada to find new markets like China.
Not only does this hurt American Business it increases the cost of gasoline Americans pay at the pomp. Most importantly it decreases America’s level of energy dominance at the same time as China’s path to Energy Independence is increasing. If this trend continues long enough, we will have enabled China to become an Energy Superpower while allowing our own energy Dominance to suffer.
Instead of adding a 10% tariff to the Cost that US Refineries must pay for Canadian Crude, we should ask the Alberta Oil and Gas Industry to increase the discount they give to U.S. refineries in exchange for us buying more of their crude.
The media is going to do everything they can to put a negative spin on tariffs in order to create headlines after todays announcement. But to make strategically smart Tariff exemptions and even ask Alberta for an additional 5% discount. as my proposed deal does; the Trump Administration, not the media, will drive the news cycle on energy tariffs.
President Trumps Liberation Day Speech 4:00 PM April 2:
During the Speech President Trump announced, as expected, the imposition of a 10% reciprocal Tariff on every U.S. Trading partner including Canada. As proud as I was of the 4 day ad and email campaign we had just waged, it appeared that it had come up short and failed to Convince the Trump Administration. not to impose the Tariff on Canadian Energy. OUR ADS WERE THE MOST INTENSIVE AND WIDEI EFFORT AMONG MANY THAT WAS MADE TO REVERSE THE TARIFFS.
But, almost like a made for television political drama, 10 minutes after the speech ended the Whitehouse issued a Fact Sheet stating that all Canada Tariffs, not just energy, had been EXEMPTED from the Reciprocal Tariffs that had just been announced.
Here is the first press report after that Fact Sheet was distributed to the Press:
Within minutes most other news outlets covering the tariffs reported that Canada had been exempted. A political policy Victory can’t be anymore definitive and conclusive than that.
Thank You President Trump Ad:
We concluded Phase I of this campaign with a Thank You ad acknowledging President Trumps decision to Grant an 90 day Exemption of the Tariffs on Canadian Energy. The ad outlined the inflation fighting benefits of the elimination of Tariffs.
This is the Thank You Ad:
PHASE 2 OF THE CAMPAIGN
as the campaign shifts to the Goal of bringing jobs and factories back to America from China, The “End China’s Chokehold” Ad https://youtu.be/dhoER85RzBU?si=K7uQzN0kAZfkcCpE is ready to run but depend on your support in order to get our message about bringing jobs back to America out.
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One of the things I am most proud of is the return on investment a John Adams and Friends campaign delivers. There are over 1200 lobbyists peddling influence in Washington DC. In addition there are , Public Relations Firms, Advertising Agencies and other “Handlers”. Charging Huge Amounts of Money that comes straight out of the wallets of US Taxpayers. Most deliver marginal results in influencing Legislation. In many cases that influence results in “Tweaks” that line the Pockets of Special Interest and Corporations and Picks the Pockets of Taxpayers. Sometimes even Foreign Countries fall victim to these “Charlatan Rogues” Two such cases involve Lobbying Firms that together are charging the Canadian Government over $140,000 per month to represent Canada’s interest in Washington DC:
Checkmate Strategies: This small firm is paid an $85,000 monthly retainer to develop tactics and strategies to help Canada’s 13 Premiers gain access to decision makers that affect policies important to the Canadian government. Don Trump Junior was responsible for introducing the principal of this firm to the Premier of The Yukon who subsequently introduced the other Premiers to the Firm. When the 13 Premiers visited Washington in mid February they did not meet with President Trump and in fact only met with two Trump administration officials just hours before the Premiers were scheduled to fly back to Canada.
Capitol Council : $58,000 monthly retainer that mostly paid for direction and oversight of a multimillion dollar ad campaign paid for by the Province of Ontario to foster a positive relationship with the U.S. by far the most impactful remaining tariff, 25% on steel, aluminum and automotive products effects the Province of Ontario more than any other Province.
I was not paid by anyone for this campaign, in fact, I have invested $4837 of my own money because I believe in the mission and know how to win. I paid $1500 to a creative shop in Armenia, 8 hours time zone away, to create my winning ad and $2538 to air it 20 times on Comcast Xfinity cable.
Now it’s time to get down to the business of doing what these tariffs were all about in the first place, bringing jobs and manufacturing back to America that we lost to China, Mexico, and other countries over the past 50 years. That’s what our new ad, “Let’s take our jobs back from China” is all about out. You don’t have to Agree with President Trump on everything he says or does, but one thing is clear and something that almost all Americans agree on. China has been ripping the U.S. off for decades and it’s time to stop it. If we are going to have a Trade War with anyone, let’s have a Trade War with China and let’s win it. The numbers are irrefutable that we must act, and not just talk about acting,
In 2024 the U.S. bought $438.9 Billion worth of products from China and China only spent $143.5 Billion buying products from the U.S. China likes to talk about Fair Trade, but what’s Fair about a trade imbalance of nearly 3 to 1 from a Country that also steels your intellectual property and does everything they can to undermine Freedom and Replace it with a Communist Dictators view of the world everyone should live in.
Please go to the Donate Button and help us keep our new ad running so that we can bring jobs and manufacturing back from China and spread the message of Freedom around the world.
Additional Facts and Data about Canadian Crude Oil and Our Campaign
Why did our first ad target only one tariff to begin with —The 10% Tariff on Canadian Energy—-Here’s Why. Refineries throughout the Mountain States and Midwest depend on Western Canadian Select Crude Oil (WCS) to supply their refineries with the raw material they must have to operate most efficiently. Anything that reduces that supply and increase the cost of it, as a 10% energy tariff will do, will cause immediate and lasting Ecconomic damage. These Refineries not only produce refined product for American customers, much of the WCS that these refineries process is sold on the world market producing high profits for the refineries and another level of energy dominance, one of President Trumps top priorities, for the United States. The two primary benefits WCS provides to refineries are:
1. These refineries are engineered to process heavier grade crude instead of the predominant lighter grade crude that makes up most of U.S. Domestic Crude (WTI).
2. WCS is discounted around 20% compared to WTI. This major discount accounts for most of the profits these refineries make by selling refined products on the world market and creating high demand by lowering the cost of Gasoline and Diesel sold to U.S. domestic customers. In most cases, it becomes some of the lowest priced gasoline and diesel sold in the country, especially in the Midwest and Great Lakes region.
The current price for the two grades of Crude are:
WCS (Canadian) $56.40 bbl
WTI (U.S. Domestic) 67.68 bbl
Raising the price of Canadian Crude (WCS) 10%, as the Energy Tariff will do, will wipe out much of the discount savings and much of the incentive to sell refined products on the world market goes away. Increased cost of Canadian Crude will also spike higher prices at the pump for American drivers. If President Trump wants America’s position in the world to be one of Energy Dominance we need more Canadian Crude with even higher volume discounts.
Here is why/how. The primary crude used internationally is Brent North Sea Crude. The international price of that fluctuates around $73.00 bbl. When U.S. refineries buy Canadian Crude for $56.40 per barrel, refine it and sell finished product on the world market, the raw material cost is 30% lower that the price currently being paid by other countries. The only way to be Energy Dominant is for the world to buy more energy from the U.S. than they buy from anyone. Raising the Price of producing that energy with an Energy Tariff reduces the crude oil supply America’s Oil Industry has to process and sell internationally making the U.S. less energy dominant…Not More.
Who benefits from the energy tariff—-China, if we don’t by Canada’s huge supply of Crude, China will—- making them more energy dominant than the U.S. Please go to the Donate Button and help us keep the U.S. #1 in Energy Dominance and deny China of the one tool they must have to replace the U.S. as the #1 source of finished Petroleum products.
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Our Ads Have a Proven record of success.
In 2021 I conducted a similar campaign in response to Governor Desantis closing nearly all of Florida 350,000 Vacation Rentals as a part of Florida’s response to COVID. Our hard hitting ads ran for less than 48 hours before Governor DeSantis agreed to reverse the executive order. This is the ad that caused Governor DeSantis to end his unfair Ban
Please go to the Donate Button and help us continue this campaign like other campaigns that were successful using our proven ad message tactics and strategy
My experience with fighting oil taxes began over 15 years ago and was the catalyst for every campaign since. After retiring from an Advertising and Publishing career focused on the auto, marine and sporting goods industry, fate drove me to respond to a call to help two local refineries in my hometown of Anacortes, WA fight a 600% tax increase.
That first campaign, which according to the Chair of the Committee where the bill was Sponsored, was the pivotal reason the largest tax bill increase in committee history was defeated. The bill would have raised a tax on WA states 4 oil refineries, two of them in my hometown, from .005% to 3%. This tax would have increased the tax burden on the refineries $250,000,000, put jobs at risk, raised the price of gas and negatively impacted the discretionary funding the refineries donated to community causes. Our campaign motivated and empowered hundreds of ordinary citizens to call legislators and tell them to vote no on this regressive bill.
Every element of that first successful campaign has been incorporated into every campaign since. Instead of television ads every 90 minutes, that first $250,000,000 tax bill was defeated with one $700 newspaper ad and the “prospect” of “Other Ads” running that were so politically damaging to bill sponsors that votes were changed in exchange for those “Other Ads” never running. Nothing has fundamentally changed since that first campaign achieved success, except the level of sophistication that the fundamentals are executed with. Those fundamental are 3 simple things.
1. Pressure
2. Pressure
3. Pressure
Based on my past experience I sincerely believe this campaign will help bring an end to the choking tariffs imposed on all U.S. trading partners, but it won’t happen without your help. Please go to the Donate Button and help us by adding your voice to our Pressure, Pressure, Pressure campaign that makes change happen.
I am not a paid lobbyist. I only work on Campaigns that I personally feel strongly about. I have lived in British Columbia for half my life for the past 10 years and have a perspective from both countries about this issue.
Please go to the updates section of this presentation to read testimonials from others who have worked on other campaigns with me and other key information about this campaign.
This Video is an Overview of John Adams and Friends
The Updates Section of this Campaign message has testimonials , ad examples, media placement cost, concepts etc. These updates will keep you informed about the campaign as it develops on an ongoing basis.
I actually hate running negative political attack ads, but in this case they are necessary. As soon as the 10% Tariff on Canadian energy was exempted we revised our original energy tariffs message to a Thank You Message.
Campaign Finincial Disclosure
Expenditures
Creattie President Trump Ad. $1500
Creattie Thank You ad. $400
Effect TV March 30 DC Media. $3500
Effect TV April 6 DC Media . $1,000
Total. $6400
Organizer
John Adams
Organizer
Inglis, FL