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Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Fox, NBC, Facebook Stop Airing Controversial Caravan Commercial


NBC Universal announced Monday it will no longer air a controversial Trump campaign ad that ran during the network's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast.

According to USAToday, the ad, which attempts to link convicted cop-killer Luis Bracamontes to an unrelated Central American migrant caravan currently traveling north, was deemed too racist by CNN. NBC's decision to run the ad was met by a public outcry after it aired Sunday. In less than 24 hours, the network announced it would no longer run the spot.

"After further review we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible," NBC Universal spokesman Joe Benarroch said in a statement Monday.

Fox News also announced in a statement Monday that, "Upon further review, Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network."

The decision to pull the ad followed an outpouring of social media outrage.

 "I don't know about it," President Donald Trump said when reporters asked him about the 30-second spot on Monday. "We have a lot of ads and they certainly are effective based on the numbers that we're seeing."

When asked about people finding the ad offensive, the president replied, "A lot of things are offensive. Your questions are offensive a lot of the time."

In the weeks leading up to the midterms, Trump has pushed to make immigration a key issue, and the migrant caravan – which is made up of people fleeing violence, corruption and poverty in their home countries – has been at the center of that.

Bracamontes, who was sentenced to death for the 2014 murder of two California deputies, entered the country illegally on at least two occasions. But court records show his case was handled primarily by Republicans, the Arizona Republic reported. At least one of his deportations occurred while former President Bill Clinton was in office, the other during the administration of President George W. Bush.

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