Trump campaign accuses CNN of censorship

President Trump’s reelection campaign said Tuesday that CNN has denied its offer to buy air time for a campaign ad, marking the second time the network has refused to run a pro-Trump campaign spot.

The ad, called “Let President Trump Do His Job,” accuses the media of “attacking our president” and briefly displays pictures of news anchors from several news outlets, including CNN anchors Jake Tapper, Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper.

“The president’s enemies don’t want him to succeed,” the ad states. “Let President Trump do his job.”

{mosads}The ad also touts U.S. economic growth, the stock market, jobs figures and military strength, while accusing Democrats of obstruction.

“One of the many reasons that so many millions of Americans support President Trump is because of their complete mistrust of the mainstream news media, and the president’s refusal to allow their biased filter to interfere with his messages,” Trump campaign executive director Michael Glassner said in a statement.

“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 continued. “Clearly, the only viewpoint CNN allows on air is CNN’S.” 

A spokesperson for CNN said the network asked for changes to make the ad “factually accurate” and that the Trump campaign declined.

“CNN would accept the ad if the images of reporters and anchors are removed,” a 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.”

Earlier this year, CNN refused to run a Trump campaign ad because it cast the mainstream media as “fake news.”

Trump and CNN are locked in an increasingly personal feud that has pitted the White House against the network’s top on-air talent.

CNN’s chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, has gained prominence for his entrenched opposition to Trump. 

Acosta has infuriated conservatives, who view him as a grandstander whose chief goal is building his personal brand through viral clips of heated exchanges with White House spokespeople.

At a press conference on Monday, Acosta, who was representing the media through the press pool, shouted a question at Trump, who responded: “You’re fake news.”

“Haven’t you spread a lot of fake news yourself, sir?” Acosta shot back.

CNN has run its own ads with footage of anchors lecturing White House officials and talking about whether Trump will be impeached.

The network has attracted criticism for its relentless hostility toward the president. A Harvard study found that CNN’s coverage of Trump was negative 93 percent of the time over the course of his first 100 days in office.

CNN’s ratings are up, although the network still trails rivals Fox News and MSNBC. 

– This story was updated at 1:06 p.m.