In response to Vice President Kamala Harris’s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, NBC provided the Trump campaign with free airtime during its NASCAR and Sunday Night Football broadcasts.
Harris’s cameo on SNL, where she appeared alongside Maya Rudolph, was about 90 seconds long, prompting NBC to offer similar airtime to other campaigns under FCC’s Equal Time rule. “NBC and Comcast reached out yesterday to give our campaign the opportunity to satisfy the equal time requirement,” said a Trump campaign official. “President Trump filmed the direct-to-camera video after yesterday’s PA rally.”
During Sunday’s NASCAR coverage, viewers spotted Trump in an unusual ad after the race concluded, where he appeared in a red “Make America Great Again” cap, warning that electing Harris could lead to a “depression” and encouraging viewers to vote. The same spot was later aired during the Sunday Night Football post-game coverage, further fulfilling NBC’s equal time obligations. Watch below:
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who may become chair if Trump is re-elected, criticized Harris’s cameo as an attempt to sidestep the Equal Time rule just days before Election Day. Under FCC guidelines, the rule requires stations to offer “comparable” airtime, not necessarily identical programming, to other candidates upon request.
The network’s swift action with the NASCAR and football coverage indicates a rapid response to potential equal time claims in this election season.
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