Saturday Night Live’s effort to give Kamala Harris some free publicity backfired spectacularly when NBC was forced to provide Donald Trump equal airtime. And the former president used that time to his full advantage.
Advertisement
SNL had initially refused to allow any presidential candidates to make cameos during their sketch comedy show but then tossed that faux integrity right out the window when Harris made a surprise appearance.
As per usual, Harris was awkward and couldn’t contain her cackle. Oh, and she also plagiarized a skit that Trump performed in 2015.
What made matters worse, however, was that the network was clearly in violation of the FCC’s equal-time rule. The rule essentially states that if you’re going to offer X amount of time to a political candidate, you have to give the same option to their opponent.
Trump’s campaign said they never received an SNL invite, and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called them out publicly for “a clear and blatant effort to evade” the rule and thus skirt election law.
This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.
The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.… https://t.co/LliZF0po9t
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024
With pressure mounting over the controversy, NBC News filed an Equal Time notice with the Federal Communications Commission late Sunday.
“Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 national election, appeared without charge on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) for a total period of 1 minute and 30 seconds on November 2, 2024,” the notice reads.
Advertisement
The problem, as RedState reported, is that they squeezed Harris’ performance in on the last Saturday before the election, meaning even if Trump wanted to do a brief cameo on SNL, it would be impossible.
NBC, backed into a corner over the blatant FCC violation, was forced to throw the GOP nominee a bone. That bone came in the form of two ad spots during Sunday’s NASCAR coverage, together with another aired during Sunday Night Football.
Those are two very pricey timeslots for ads to run, with the Daily Mail estimating each to have a price tag in the ballpark of $1.7 million.
Having very little time to prepare for this, Trump’s campaign put together a quick ad of the candidate standing in front of several American flags, wearing his signature Make America Great Again hat.
🚨NEW: NBC allowed Donald Trump to air a 90 second advertisement per FCC regulations.
They were mandated to provide time to Trump equal to what Kamala Harris received on SNL due to election laws. The segment aired during tonight’s NASCAR post-race show.
“Get out and vote!” pic.twitter.com/ghRMPvDMMa
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) November 4, 2024
“Hello to our great sports fans, and I hope you’re having a fantastic time,” Trump begins in the NBC-approved political ad. “We’re two days away from the most important election in the history of our country. We’ve got to save our country, and it needs saving; it’s in very bad shape.”
He then dove head first into the travesty that is the Harris-Biden administration:
Advertisement
The worst economic numbers in generations were just announced two days ago. We’re losing jobs. We’re losing everything, including viability. We’re gonna end up in a depression, based on what’s been happening. We’ve never seen anything like it, at least for the last 40 years. We have to straighten out our country. We have to close our borders. We have to lower our taxes. We have to get rid of inflation. And we are going to do it.
Kamala used her two minutes to stifle laughter while the audience screeched after seeing her on camera, delivering flat jokes surrounding the only credentials she believes matter — the fact that she’s “a Black South Asian woman running for president.”
Trump spoke directly into the camera regarding the economy, something that affects Americans’ everyday lives.
Kamala’s performance was a thinly veiled hobnobbing vanity project with her elite Hollywood friends. Trump’s message was delivered to NASCAR and football fans watching at home.
The contrast is clear.
“Just remember,” Trump concludes. “Kamala and her friends broke it, I’ll fix it.”
“Most important election in the history of our country. Go and vote.”
Vote like your wallet, if not your life, depends on it.
