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CNN Blocks Trump Campaign Ad That Attacks CNN

August 15, 2017

CNN has declined to air an advertisement by President Donald Trump's campaign because it contains anti-media content.

This is the second time that CNN has declined to show a Trump campaign ad, BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday. The first incident occurred in May, when CNN blocked the ad because it included a graphic that called the media "fake news."

Trump's reelection campaign committee said in a statement in May that they attempted to buy a CNN slot for the first ad, but the ad buy was blocked.

"It is absolutely shameful to see the media blocking the positive message that President Trump is trying to share with the country," said Michael Glassner, executive director of the campaign committee, Donald J. Trump for President. "It's clear that CNN is trying to silence our voice and censor our free speech because it doesn't fit their narrative."

The new ad does not mention the term "fake news," but it frames the press as Trump's enemy, including several short, muted clips of CNN hosts like Don Lemon, Dana Bash, Fareed Zakaria, Anderson Cooper, and John King.

In the ad, while members of the media are shown on screen, the narrator says, "The president's enemies don't want him to succeed."

CNN issued a statement to BuzzFeed saying the network would run the ad if changes are made, the same stipulation CNN gave to the previous campaign ad in May.

"CNN would accept the ad if the images of reporters and anchors are removed," a network spokesperson said. "Anchors and reporters don't have 'enemies,' as the ad states, but they do hold those in power accountable across the political spectrum and aggressively challenge false and misleading statements and investigate wrong-doing."

Glassner said that CNN is censoring Trump's message to the American people.

"Today, CNN provided further proof that the network earns this mistrust every day by censoring President Trump's message to the American people by blocking our paid campaign ad," he said. "Clearly, the only viewpoint CNN allows on air is CNN's."

CNN contributor April Ryan wrote on Twitter it was a "sad day" that she was singled out as an enemy of the president in the ad.

The ad comes at a time when CNN reporters and Trump administration officials, including Trump himself, have repeatedly clashed. There have been multiple heated interactions, particularly involving CNN's senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.