#BoycottNBC explodes on Twitter after Trump town hall scheduled against Biden’s on ABC

NBC’s announcement on Wednesday that it will host a town hall with President Trump Thursday night resulted in considerable blowback on social media, with critics arguing it should not have been scheduled up against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s town hall at the same time on ABC.

ABC announced the Biden event on Oct. 8 after Trump rejected a virtual debate proposal by the Commission on Presidential Debates for Oct. 15. The Biden campaign scheduled with ABC after the Trump rejection, which eventually led to the commission canceling the Oct. 15 debate altogether last Friday. 

Longtime political analyst Jeff Greenfield was among those slamming the decision, with his tweet calling NBC’s decision “indefensible” generating more than 80,000 likes as of Wednesday afternoon. 

The decision by NBC News to run a Trump town hall directly opposite ABC’s Biden town hall is indefensible.

— Jeff Greenfield (@greenfield64) October 14, 2020

ABC + Biden should move his event to 9PM TONIGHT. #BoycottNBC https://t.co/4LrOZegwhM

— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) October 14, 2020

I’ve heard from over a dozen NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC sources (talent and staff) and the frustration with and anger toward their employer for scheduling a town hall against Biden is palpable.

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) October 14, 2020

#BoycottNBC is the top trendingtopic and they earned it. NBC could’ve scheduled its town hall with Trump LITERALLY any other date/time as the town hall previously scheduled with Biden for Thursday on ABC. But they choose the same time. Then again NBC gave us The Apprentice https://t.co/GICwLniWNW

— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) October 14, 2020

This is exactly how Trump won the election, media outlets hungry for audience happily giving a white supremacist a platform despite the impact on society. #BoycottNBC https://t.co/QGZQ5uL9hO

— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) October 14, 2020

NBC News “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie will moderate the one-hour event from Miami.