#BoycottNBC Trends After Network Announces Donald Trump Town Hall In Same Time Slot As Joe Biden Event
The hashtag #BoycottNBC is trending on social media after the network announced that it will host a town hall-style meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday night. The event is scheduled at the same time that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is hosting a similar event.
As NBC News reported, Thursday, October 15 was previously the date of the second of three presidential debates this year. However, the Commission on Presidential Debates made the decision to change the format of the program to a virtual question-and-answer session due to the president having been diagnosed with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, days earlier. Trump refused to participate in such a format, and the debate was canceled.
Biden’s campaign scheduled its own event in which the candidate would take questions from voters. Additionally, on Wednesday morning, NBC announced that Trump will do the same, with his program to be aired by the network. The two competing events will air against one another, both at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, with the former V.P.’s airing on ABC.
On Twitter, users are so incensed at the network giving Trump air time, particularly in direct opposition to Biden’s, that users are calling for a boycott.
One angered Twitter user pointed to NBC’s previous relationship with Trump as a reality TV star and a real estate developer.
“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,” they tweeted.
Another suggested that they have half a mind to watch Trump’s event, but they don’t want to give NBC their ratings.
“Shame on you @NBCNews ANY day of the week, ANY time slot, yet you schedule a town hall for #CaptainCovid at the same time as Biden’s on @ABC? I would almost watch out of morbid curiosity but 1. they won’t get my ratings & 2. I’m Riden with Biden!!” they wrote on Twitter.
Another swore off NBC forever.
“Guess I won’t be watching NBC any more,” they tweeted.
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Trump program are taking great care to make sure health and safety protocols are followed. Specifically, moderator Savannah Guthrie and the president will always be at least 12 feet apart from each other. Further, NBC reviewed a statement from Dr. Clifford Lane, clinical director at the National Institutes of Health, indicating that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci have reviewed Trump’s recent medical data and have concluded that they don’t believe Trump is actively shedding coronavirus particles.
