NBC aired a short video message from former President Donald Trump on Sunday after the network was accused of violating the “equal time” rule by having Vice President Kamala Harris appear on “Saturday Night Live.”
The move from NBC came a day after the Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, alleged that the network had violated the “equal time” rule, which allows rival candidates to ask for equal air time.
“This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule,” Carr posted on X. “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. Unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns.”
After the remarks were posted by Carr, NBC worked to provide Trump with equal time by airing a short video message from the president.
The message came while it was broadcasting a NASCAR playoff race and saw the former president look into the camera and address the crowd near the end of the broadcast.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Trump said a Harris presidency would result in the country going into a “depression.” He also encouraged people to vote on Tuesday.
The Reporter reported that the appearance was related to providing Trump with equal time, a source familiar with the matter shared. It was not made clear to the outlet whether Trump had requested the slot or if it had been provided by NBC.
Harris appeared on SNL three days out from Election Day in a short skit with comedian Maya Rudolph, who portrays Harris on the sketch comedy show.
Harris appeared on SNL for one minute and 30 seconds, and under the rule from the FCC, Trump was entitled to the same airtime from the network if he requested it. The same opportunity is not required, but the airtime must be comparable in time and placement.
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The Trump campaign has not shared if it did request the time slot, though it did criticize Harris for her SNL appearance. The campaign said she was “cosplaying with her elitist friends” while her campaign “spirals down the drain into obscurity.”
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