Friday 27 / December / 2024
Washington DC: Former US President Donald Trump has said NBC, CNN should be taken off air for not broadcasting the full speech he gave in Iowa following his win in Monday's caucuses, The Hill reported.
During his remarks to a crowd in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, Trump said: "We were talking about her show and how corrupt the press is, and last night it was amazing. NBC and CNN refused to air my victory speech. Think of it -- because they are crooked. They're dishonest, and frankly, they should have their licenses or whatever they have: Take it away."
MSNBC did not show any of Trump's speech, something that has become a regular practice for the network since his presidency ended three years ago, according to The Hill.
A leading pundit, Rachel Maddow, said: "There is a reason that we and other news organisations have generally stopped giving an unfiltered live platform to remarks by former President Trump. It is not out of spite. It is not a decision that we relish. It is a decision that we regularly revisit, and honestly, earnestly."
Calling it "not an easy decision," Maddow continued: "There is a cost to us as a news organisation of knowingly broadcasting untrue things. And that is a fundamental truth of our business and who we are."
CNN meanwhile aired some of Trump's remarks before cutting away when he began using what anchor Jake Tapper called "anti-immigrant rhetoric."
Fox News carried Trump's remarks, as did a number of other media outlets, as per The Hill.
The former president has attacked MSNBC in the past, pledging late last year to investigate Comcast, its parent company, and suggesting it is guilty of treason.
Trump has for years complained about the coverage of him on CNN, labeling the network "fake news."
The former US President registered a huge victory with unprecedented margins at the Iowa caucuses, further demonstrating the hold he maintains over the party as well as its supporters, as he closed in for a 2020 rematch contest with incumbent Joe Biden.
Notably, Trump kickstarted his bid to win party's third consecutive presidential nomination despite skipping the GOP primary debates. The results also demonstrated how 'devoted' Republicans remain to Trump amid his highly unusual campaign -- one being waged between court appearances, indictments and removal from ballots.
