Thanks (or no thanks) to NBC, Thursday night will be a Trump Biden Debate Clash Melee!
Politics
Originally, Trump and Biden were scheduled to debate Thursday during an in-person Town Hall event in Miami. However, once Donald Trump contracted COVID-19, the debate commission opted to change the debate to a virtual event in the interest of safety. Naturally, the self-centered Trump scoffed at the idea saying, “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about.” He then added, “They cut you off whenever they want,” which would have gone against his penchant to scream and yell over Joe Biden when it wasn’t his turn to speak. So, the event was canceled.
Joe Biden then arranged to hold a Town Hall event in place of the original event Trump chose not to attend, and it is scheduled to be broadcast from Philadelphia on ABC. However, refusing to be outdone, Donald Trump “one-upped” Joe Biden (in his own mind) by scheduling a Town Hall event of his own on the exact evening and at the exact same time as the Biden event — only on NBC.
And so, the Trump Biden Debate Clash Melee was born!
To be totally frank, this is a travesty.
Traditionally, the debate process for selecting the most powerful person on the planet is a public service and not a political game of gotcha. That’s why there is one official debate commission and why the debates are collectively shown on every network without the need for a ratings contest. NBC apparently missed the memo and has allowed ‘The Donald’ to pull them into an unnecessary Trump Biden Debate Clash Melee just for his own self-serving satisfaction.
Viewers who would love to see both men in a Town Hall debate format or would wish to hear what each has to say will not be given that opportunity. With the dueling events happening on the same date at the same time, viewers will be forced to choose one over the other. That is a lose-lose for democracy, considering the election is a mere 2 weeks away.
NBC has played right into Donald Trump’s hands since he will undoubtedly use the clash for bragging rights should he receive better ratings. However, Trump is the only one jumping for joy at the idea of a Donald Trump vs Joe Biden Debate Clash.
NBC is “giving Trump exactly what he wants,” said one exasperated White House senior staffer. “A made-by-TV rivalry between the president and Biden.”
“Having dueling town halls is bad for democracy,” former NBC “Today” show host Katie Couric tweeted Wednesday. “Voters should be able to watch both and I don’t think many will. This will be good for Trump because people like to watch his unpredictability. This is a bad decision.”
Vivian Schiller, formerly the chief digital officer at NBC News, took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to call NBC’s decision “shameful.” She added, “The point of a news organization is to serve the public. This is the opposite. @NBCNews could literally run this any other day, or any other time. Shameful.”
“This is a bad result for American voters, who should not be forced to choose which to watch,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, the former senior vice president of specials at NBC News. “So much is still going wrong with how TV journalism copes, or still fails to cope, with @realDonaldTrump.”
“This is a craven ratings stunt, caving to the Trumpian impulses the network helped hone,” tweeted Kyle Pope, the editor of the Columbia Journalism Review.
Still, others weighed in on Twitter via the hashtag #BoycottNBC:
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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 trending topic 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
As of this writing, ABC was hoping to change the time or at least find a compromise so that both candidates were not airing at the same in a disservice to the American public. However, NBC and Donald Trump (who have a relationship after Trump’s years as host of the reality television show “The Apprentice”) are playing hardball in the slight hope that Trump will end up looking good and Biden will end up looking bad.
So, make your choices now. You’ll have to choose to watch one or the other in the Trump Biden Debate Clash Melee. Or, you could simply tune them both out and watch a good movie.
The next and final 2020 presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 9 pm from Belmont University in Nashville.
“This is a craven ratings stunt, caving to the Trumpian impulses the network helped hone,” tweeted Kyle Pope, the editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. […]
Nothing epitomizes the belief that “The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.” like the American (so-called) “News” media industry. Regular readers know that I’ve been railing against that industry for at least the past 4 yrs, as I watched them gleefully provide Trump (candidate, nominee and then president) with Billions of dollars worth of free Free media on a global platform to promote his national vision of Racism, Hatred, Bigotry and Ignorance.
So put me down as NOT surprised at all by NBC’s craven move. As for other news networks expressing outrage about it!?! They should just STHU.