Donald Trump team furious after ABC, CBS and NBC refuse to run 'fake news' election campaign ad
Blocking the 30-second clip is an ‘unprecedented act of censorship’ says Lara Trump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A host of US television networks have refused to run advert celebrating Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office was not aired by ABC, CBS, NBC, following CNN's refusal to do so.
ABC, CBS and NBC have joined CNN in declining to show the commercial, which features a graphic of the President’s supposed accomplishments and blames the “fake news” media for not reporting on it. The faces of news anchors from major networks were superimposed over the the words 'Fake News'.
Four journalists were used in the graphic: Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Scott Pelley of CBS, George Stephanopoulos of ABC, Wolf Blitzer of CNN and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC.
A spokesperson for ABC told The Independent:"We rejected the ad because it did not meet our guidelines. We have previously accepted Trump ads and are open to doing so in the future.”
In a statement, CNN defended the network's decision by stating that mainstream media is not "fake news" and therefore the ad is "false".
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of the President and his consultant said in a press release: “Apparently, the mainstream media are champions of the First Amendment only when it serves their own political views.
"Faced with an ad that doesn't fit their biased narrative, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC have now all chosen to block our ad. This is an unprecedented act of censorship in America that should concern every freedom-loving citizen."
The campaign spent $1.5 million (£1.16 million) to air the ad, which highlights Neil Gorsuch’s appointment to the Supreme Court, proposed tax cuts and the President's executive order in support of the Keystone pipeline.
It has run on both Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
The Independent has contacted NBC, CNN and CBS for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments