NBC gave Donald Trump two minutes of free airtime during primetime Sunday night sporting events after the Peacock Network was accused of giving special treatment to his opponent.
Kamala Harris received 90 seconds of free airtime on the eve of election week during a surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live.
But Brendan Carr, the top Republican commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission, didn’t see the funny side and criticized the vice president’s parody as a “clear and brazen effort” to evade the Equal Time rule.
“The goal of the rule is to prevent exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct: a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert influence on a candidate on the eve of an election, unless the broadcaster offers Equal Time to other qualified campaigns,” Carr wrote in X.
Carr said the FCC’s “equal time” rule means candidates must have the same amount of air time, alleging how NBC “structured this appearance in a way that evades these requirements.”
NBC gave Donald Trump two minutes of free airtime during Sunday night sporting events after the Peacock Network was accused of giving his opponent more time.
Kamala Harris received 90 seconds of free airtime on the eve of the election during a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.
In an attempt to make amends, NBC allowed the Trump campaign the option of placing two ads during Sunday’s NASCAR coverage along with a second ad during Sunday Night Football.
Typically, advertising during NBC’s Sunday Night Football is among the most expensive on television, with a 60-second commercial averaging about $1.7 million, while an ad during NASCAR would also approach $1.7 million. million dollar mark.
Harris appeared on SNL for 90 seconds, meaning NBC finally gave Trump an extra 30 seconds of free air time.
The rules do not require the network to have the candidate appear on a program similar to the one his opponent appeared on, just a similar amount of air time.
Trump’s first announcement came during NBC’s broadcast of a NASCAR playoff race.
Just as the race was coming to a close, Trump appeared in an ad markedly different from previous ads and looking hastily put together.
Brendan Carr, the FCC’s top Republican commissioner, criticized the vice president’s appearance on Saturday Night Live as a “clear and brazen effort” to evade the equal time rule.
Carr (pictured) said the FCC’s “equal time” rule means candidates must have equal air time, claiming that NBC “structured this appearance in a way that evades these requirements.”
Trump spoke directly to the camera standing in front of an American flag while wearing one of his red MAGA baseball caps.
“Hello to our great sports fans and I hope you’re having a great time,” Trump said in the minute-long speech, recorded specifically for Sunday night.
‘We are two days away from the most important elections in the history of our country, we have to save our country and it is necessary to save it. It is in very bad condition. “The worst economic figures in generations were announced just two days ago,” he began.
‘We are losing jobs, we are losing everything, including viability. We are going to end up in depression because of what has been happening. “We’ve never seen anything like this, at least in the last 40 years,” Trump said as threads rippled beneath him.
‘We have to right our country, we have to close our borders, we have to reduce our taxes, we have to get rid of inflation and we are going to do it.
‘Just remember that Kamala and her friends broke it. I’ll fix it. Most important elections in the history of our country. Go and vote!’ Trump implored.
Later that night, Trump was given an additional 60 seconds of campaign time during postgame coverage on NBC’s Sunday Night Football show in which the same ad was played.
Later that night, Trump received an additional 60 seconds of campaign time during postgame coverage on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in which the same ad was played.
The vice president looked through the dressing room mirror at Maya Rudolph, who plays her in the sketch.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels has previously said that strict rules on candidate timings were one of the reasons Trump or Harris did not appear on the show this season.
The Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule was created in 1934 and requires radio and television stations to give equal time to competing political candidates.
Harris’ appearance on the show, which was a complete surprise, saw she plays herself as a mirror double of Maya Rudolph’s version of her in the show’s cold open.
The first lines spoken by the candidate sitting opposite Rudolph, in their identical outfits, were completely drowned out by the audience’s applause.
“It’s nice to see you, Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a wide smile that he maintained throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you that you have this.”
In lockstep, the two said their supporters need to “Keep Kamala and carry on,” declaring that they share each other’s “belief in the promise of America” and delivered the signature “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night !”
With his appearance on the NBC comedy show, the Democratic candidate hoped to generate buzz and attract a national audience.
Harris had left Charlotte, North Carolina, and was scheduled to head to Detroit, but once in the air, his aides said he would land in New York City.
The appearance was only confirmed by Harris’ team a few hours before the live broadcast began.
The vice president arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, where the SNL tapes were being recorded, shortly after 8:00 p.m., enough time for a quick rehearsal before the show went live at 11:30 p.m.
He left immediately after the opening segment, telling reporters, “It was fun!” as he boarded his plane to Michigan.
Politicians have a long history on SNL, including Trump, who hosted the show in 2015, but appearing so close to Election Day is unusual.