Networks pull Trump ad on migrants — even Fox News

Et tu, Fox News?

President Trump’s favorite cable news network has pulled his campaign ad that depicts a Central American migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. border with Mexico as made up of criminals and accuses Democrats of inviting murderers into the country.

“Upon further review, Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network,” Marianne Gambelli, president of ad sales, told CNN in a statement.

The move comes one day after NBC faced a backlash from viewers after it aired the controversial ad during Sunday night’s NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers.

“After further review we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible,” NBC said in a statement.

For its part, CNN labeled the ad “racist,” and refused to air it even in shortened form.

“CNN has made it abundantly clear in its editorial coverage that this ad is racist,” a spokesperson for the network said in a statement. “When presented with an opportunity to be paid to take a version of this ad, we declined.”

Asked Monday by reporters why he had approved an ad that many people criticized as offensive, Trump turned the question back on the media.

“Well, a lot of things are offensive. Your questions are offensive a lot of times, so, you know,” Trump said.

After Trump posted the ad to his Twitter account, Republicans like Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and former Florida GOP Chairman Al Cardenas decried the ad last week as a clear example of bigotry.

“This is a sickening ad. Republicans everywhere should denounce it,” Flake wrote on Twitter.

On Monday, Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign manager, went after NBC, CNN and Facebook for refusing to air the ad, but made no mention of Fox News.

Several news organizations have pointed out that one of the central claims in Trump’s ad, that Democrats allowed police killer Luis Bracamontes into the United States, is a gross oversimplification.

Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against undocumented immigrants in recent weeks, in part because he believes the issue will resonate with women and help Republicans avoid losing the House of Representatives or the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

_____

Read more Yahoo News midterms coverage:

• In Texas Senate race, both parties are at the door — all 7.4 million of them

• In Arizona, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema runs hard to the middle

• Battle for the soccer-mom vote plays out in suburban Detroit

• Menendez race pits ethical concerns against party loyalty, and loyalty is winning

• A House rematch sheds light on how landscape changed from 2016

• Virginia Republican congressman tries to weather scandal and wave of spending

• Photos: Scenes from the Texas Senate race

• See the rest of our midterms coverage >>>