Vice President Kamala Harris’ cameo on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” triggered the government’s “equal time” provision, a long-standing broadcast rule former President Donald Trump capitalized on Sunday.
“Hello to our great sports fans,” Trump said at the beginning of an unusual 60-second video played during NASCAR postrace coverage on many NBC stations. Trump, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, urged viewers to vote.
Almost as soon as Harris was confirmed Saturday to appear on “SNL,” Trump allies raised questions about the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rule. Brendan Carr, a Republican who was appointed to the commission by Trump in 2017, wrote on X “this is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”
The government’s rule tries to ensure if one political candidate gains airtime on a broadcast station, then the candidate’s opponents can request an equal opportunity. News programs are exempt, but entertainment programs like “SNL” are not.
On “SNL,” Harris received about one minute and 30 seconds of airtime “without charge,” according to a network filing with the FCC.
“We’re two days away from the most important election in the history of our country,” Trump said. “We’ve gotta save our country, and it needs saving, it’s in very bad shape.”
Some of Trump’s comments were highly questionable, including his claim “we’re going to end up in a depression based on what’s been happening,” but the video was not subject to fact-checking.
