John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, incensed some of his prominent donors, such as Kathy Hilton, mother of Paris Hilton, by his television ad comparing Barack Obama to daughter Paris and Britney Spears.

Kathy Hilton said, "It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States."

Commenting on the ad that plays on Obama's popularity by dismissing him as a mere celebrity, like Hilton and Spears, McCain said that his campaign ad mocking Democrat Barack Obama with images of Hilton and singer Britney Spears was part of an attempt to inject humor into the presidential race.

Kathy Hilton, however, was unconvinced, calling the ad "a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign". Paris Hilton’s spokesman complained that “Miss Hilton was not asked, nor did she give permission for the use of her likeness in the ad.” Kathy Hilton and her husband donated a total of $4600 to McCain's campaign earlier this year.