Trump tried to run an ad on CNN that called the network fake news
Media critics at times berated CNN for its endless coverage of then-candidate Donald Trump as he campaigned for the White House in 2016, and some have even called the relationship symbiotic -- the network needed ratings, and Trump needed airtime.
But for as much as CNN's fortunes have improved in the age of Trump, there are some indignities the network won't suffer, such as a commercial calling it and other media outlets "fake news."
Trump's campaign (he is, in fact, already campaigning for reelection in 2020) put together a 30-second ad saying of his first 100 days: "America has rarely seen such success." About 20 seconds in, the voiceover man says viewers wouldn't know about any of his supposed accomplishments "from watching the news," at which point the faces of several prominent reporters and anchors show up with "FAKE NEWS" written in red across the screen. Anchor Wolf Blitzer serves as CNN's representative.
CNN tweeted that the network asked Trump's campaign to remove the "fake news" graphic before they would run it. Their communications team called the ad "false" and implied that it violated the network's ad policy.
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Trump campaign Executive Director Michael Glassner accused CNN of "censorship" following the network's announcement.
"CNN epitomizes the meaning of fake news and has proven it by rejecting our paid campaign ad," Glassner said.
There'll probably be a Trump tweet about this in three...two...one...
Topics Donald Trump
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
