Associates connected to President Donald Trump lashed back at CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC's refusal to broadcast his recent ad as an assault on free speech and "an unprecedented act of censorship," according to the U.K.'s Independent.
"Apparently, the mainstream media are champions of the First Amendment only when it serves their own political views," Lara Trump, wife of President Trump's son Eric, said in a Trump campaign press release.
"Faced with an ad that doesn't fit their biased narrative, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC have now all chosen to block our ad. This is an unprecedented act of censorship in America that should concern every freedom-loving citizen."
CNN claimed its refusal of the "false" ad was based on the "Fake News" graphic covering the faces of news anchors Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Scott Pelley of CBS, George Stephanopoulos of ABC, Wolf Blitzer of CNN, and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. CNN said it would air the ad if the "Fake News" graphic was removed.
ABC echoed CNN's position, according to the report.
"We rejected the ad because it did not meet our guidelines," an ABC spokesperson told the Independent. "We have previously accepted Trump ads and are open to doing so in the future."
The Trump campaign reportedly spent $1.5 million to air the ad.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.