US networks drop Trump ad perceived as ‘racist’

WASHINGTON — NBC, Fox News and Facebook pulled an ad by President Donald Trump’s campaign that critics had labeled racist as a bitter election fight for control of the US Congress headed on Monday for an unpredictable finish.

Tuesday’s elections, widely seen as a referendum on Mr. Trump, have been portrayed by both Republicans and Democrats as critical for the direction of the country.

At stake is control of both chambers of Congress, and with it the ability to block or promote Mr. Trump’s agenda, as well as 36 governor’s offices.

A surge in early voting, fueled by a focus on Mr. Trump’s pugilistic, norms-breaking presidency by supporters of both parties, could signal the highest turnout in 50 years for a midterm US election, when the White House is not on the line.

The 30-second ad, which was sponsored by Mr. Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and which debuted online last week, featured courtroom video of an illegal immigrant from Mexico convicted in the 2014 killings of two police officers, juxtaposed with scenes of migrants headed through Mexico.

Critics, including members of Mr. Trump’s own party, had condemned the spot as racially divisive.

CNN had refused to run the ad, saying it was “racist.”

NBC, owned by Comcast Corp., said on Monday it was no longer running the ad, which it called “insensitive.”

Fox News Channel, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly named his favorite broadcaster, also said it would no longer run the spot. Fox News, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., said it had made the decision after a review but did not elaborate.

Facebook, Inc. said it would no longer allow paid promotions of the ad, although it would allow users to share the ad on their own pages.

Mr. Trump batted away reporters’ questions about the networks’ decision to drop the ad.

“You’re telling me something I don’t know about. We have a lot of ads, and they certainly are effective based on the numbers we’re seeing,” Mr. Trump said as he departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for a rally in Cleveland.

Asked about concerns that the ad was offensive, he replied: “A lot of things are offensive. Your questions are offensive.” —

REUTERS SUPPORTERS of US President Donald Trump walk past a cardboard cutout of the president as they arrive at his rally in support of Republican candidates on the eve of the US midterm election in Cleveland, Ohio in this Nov. 5 photo.