Fox News, NBC stop airing Trump immigrant ad deemed racist
NEW YORK — NBC and Fox News Channel both said Monday that they will stop airing President Trump's campaign advertisement that featured an immigrant convicted of murder. CNN had rejected the same ad, declaring it racist.
Fox pulled the ad Sunday "upon further review," said Marianne Gambelli, president of the network's ad sales department. Fox did not immediately say how many times it aired on either Fox News Channel or the Fox Business Network.
The advertisement aired on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and drew a heated online response. After reviewing the ad, NBC said it recognizes its insensitive nature.
A source familiar with the matter told CBS News the ad was produced by the Trump campaign, with an ad buy of $1.5 million across TV and digital platforms.
The ad includes footage of Luis Bracamontes, a twice-deported immigrant from Mexico sentenced to death in California for killing two police officers. It blames Democrats for allowing him into the country.
The ad, however, is not factual. It is akin to blaming Republicans for criminals who entered the country illegally under Presidents Trump or George W. Bush. There is no evidence that any Democrat — or anyone, for that matter — allowed Bracamontes to stay.
Democratic and Republican administrations alike have deported hundreds of thousands of people a year. Former President Barack Obama focused during his second term on recent arrivals and people with criminal histories, but Mr. Trump quickly directed that anyone in the country illegally could be targeted.
Facebook also announced Monday that the ad violated its advertising policy. "While the video is allowed to be posted on Facebook, it cannot receive paid distribution," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
Mr. Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted that NBC News, CNN and Facebook had chosen "to stand with those ILLEGALLY IN THIS COUNTRY." He said the media was trying to control what you see and think. Parscale made no mention of Fox's decision.
The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted over the weekend, noting CNN's refusal to air the advertisement, saying, "I guess they only run fake news and won't talk about real threats that don't suit their agenda."
CNN said it was made "abundantly clear" through its coverage that the ad was racist and declined to air it when the campaign sought to buy airtime.