Southeast
'Human punch-line' Tim Kaine mocked for 'SNL' cameo by GOP Senate challenger amid equal-time rule outrage
Virginia Republican Senate candidate Hung Cao mocked his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, for appearing on “Saturday Night Live” amid outrage that NBC appeared to violate a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) equal-time rule for featuring both Kaine and Vice President Kamala Harris on the comedy show without showcasing their political opponents.
“Many of my supporters are saying I should sue NBC for giving free airtime to my opponent Tim Kaine right before my election. I disagree,” Cao said in a statement posted to his social media.
“I was barnstorming 12 towns and cities across Virginia yesterday talking about how we’re going to secure our border & lower prices, while Tim was being a human punch-line in New York City.”
Social media erupted on Saturday as news spread that Harris’ planned flight to Detroit for a campaign event was diverted to New York City, as speculation mounted the Democratic nominee would make a surprise appearance on “SNL.” Harris, as well as Kaine, did appear on the comedy show, sparking outrage from Trump supporters, as well as a commissioner on the FCC, who said NBC appeared to violate the agency’s equal-time rule for hosting the political candidates in the final episode of “SNL” before Election Day.
FCC COMMISSIONER RIPS NBC OVER HARRIS’ LAST-MINUTE SNL APPEARANCE: ‘PLAINLY DESIGNED TO EVADE’ THE RULES
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine on “Saturday Night Live” and Republican Senate candidate from Virginia Hung Cao (Getty Images)
The equal-time rule, established in 1934, requires radio and television broadcast stations to provide the same amount of time for competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule, such as newscasts, documentaries and political debates.
“This has all the appearances of, at least some leadership at NBC, at ‘SNL,’ making clear that they wanted to weigh in in favor of one candidate before the election. That’s exactly why, for decades, we’ve had an equal-time rule on the book, is to prevent that. Because remember, broadcasters are placed in a special position of trust. They’re not just like any other person with a soapbox on the corner. They have a license from the federal government that obligates them to operate in the public interest,” Republican FCC commissioner Brendan Carr told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview Sunday morning.
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Carr said Cao, former President Trump, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, and even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who is still on the ballot in some states after dropping out of the presidential and endorsing Trump – are likely eligible to receive the same amount of time on “SNL” as their respective challengers this election cycle.
Sen. Tim Kaine joins the cast of “Saturday Night Live” at the end of the program on Nov. 2, 2024. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)
“Later on in the program, Sen. Kaine here in Virginia, where I am, appeared on the program, and he’s up for election on Tuesday as well. There’s an opposing campaign, the Hung Cao campaign, they may also have a right now to comparable time in programming,” he told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
KAMALA HARRIS APPEARS ON ‘SNL’ IN FINAL EPISODE BEFORE ELECTION
The “What’s That Name: Election Edition” sketch featuring Sen. Tim Kaine on “Saturday Night Live,” Nov. 2, 2024. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)
Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate during her failed 2016 presidential run, appeared in a skit as a contestant on a game show who couldn’t remember who Kaine was. His appearance followed Harris joining “SNL” alum Maya Rudolph in the comedy show’s cold open.
‘SNL’ TAKES AIM AT KAMALA HARRIS’ ‘MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILY’ FAMILY RESPONSE DURING ‘FAMILY FEUD’ SKIT
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Time Kaine, concedes the presidential election on Nov. 9, 2016 in New York City. (Brooks Kraft/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Cao for additional comment on the debacle, but did not immediately receive a response. The Virginia Republican and retired Navy captain did thank NBC and Kaine for the appearance in his initial comment.
FCC COMMISSIONER OUTLINES ‘POTENTIAL REMEDIES’ FOR NBC’S ‘CLEAR AND BLATANT’ ELECTION LAW VIOLATION
“I want to thank NBC & Tim Kaine for making the contrast so clear about the stakes on Tuesday,” he capped off his statement.
Lorne Michaels, the creator of “Saturday Night Live,” said just last month that it was highly unlikely that either Trump or Harris would appear on the comedy show, explicitly citing the equal time provision laws.
NBC FILES EQUAL TIME NOTICE FOR HARRIS’ ‘SNL’ CAMEO FOLLOWING BACKLASH
“You can’t bring the actual people who are running on because of election laws and the equal time provisions,” Michaels told the Hollywood Reporter in October. “You can’t have the main candidates without having all the candidates, and there are lots of minor candidates that are only on the ballot in, like, three states and that becomes really complicated.”
Hung Cao speaks on stage with former President Trump during a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on June 28, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Carr noted in the Fox News Digital interview that Michaels was aware of the FCC’s equal time rule just the other week.
“This is exactly why Lorne Michaels just weeks ago went public and said they would not be doing any candidate appearances, because he understood the thicket that it would throw NBC into. Something changed at the last minute, and they’ve now gone down this path. And again, I think it’s important that the FCC come together and we take action. Otherwise, our rules are absolutely meaningless,” he said.
Late Sunday, NBC and affiliates ultimately filed equal-time notices regarding Harris’ and Kaine’s appearances on the show.
“Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 national election, appeared without charge on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) for a total period of 1 minute and 30 seconds on November 2, 2024,” the notice reads.
Amid outrage over the appearances, an election ad for Trump aired on NBC toward the end of its broadcast of a NASCAR event and the NFL’s coverage of the Minnesota Vikings-Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday night.
“We’re losing everything, including viability,” Trump said in the ad. “We’re going to end up in a depression based on what’s been happening. We’ve never seen anything like it, at least in the last 40 years.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Southeast
First lady stumps in key battleground state while Biden remains absent from the campaign trail
First lady Jill Biden will stump for Vice President Kamala Harris in a key battleground state on the last day before the general election, while President Biden, the former Democratic nominee, is absent from the campaign trail.
The first lady will spend election eve campaigning for Harris in North Carolina – a state of 16 key electoral votes that former President Trump won in both 2016 and 2020.
Neither Harris nor her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, have events scheduled in North Carolina on Monday. However, Jill Biden is expected to make stops in three cities across the state: Winston-Salem, Carrboro and Durham.
The first lady was also on the campaign trail Sunday, speaking at a get-out-the-vote event in Pennsylvania.
HARRIS DISTANCES HERSELF FROM BIDEN LABELING TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’
First lady Jill Biden speaks at a Get Out the Vote campaign event for Harris-Walz in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 3, 2024. (Nathan Morris/Getty Images)
While his wife hits the trail for the Democratic presidential nominee, President Biden’s public schedule shows he will remain off the campaign trail until Election Day.
HARRIS CAMPAIGN ABANDONS BIDEN IN FINAL WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION DAY: REPORT
The president will spend Monday making calls to thank service members for “recent successful counterterrorism operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria,” according to his public schedule.
President Biden speaks at the Carpenters Local Union 445 “Get Out The Vote” event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 2, 2024. (Ting Shen/Getty Images)
The president attended a get-out-the-vote event in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, but has remained largely distant from the campaign trail since Harris stepped in as his replacement in July.
Harris, herself, has also appeared to distance herself from Biden throughout her campaign.
The vice president recently told Fox News’ Bret Baier that her presidency would “not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency.”
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena Aug. 29, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. (Win McNamee)
“Like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. I represent a new generation of leadership,” Harris told Fox News.
Most recently, President Biden suggested that Trump supporters are “garbage.”
Questioned on the comment, which sparked outrage from the GOP, Harris told reporters that “I think that first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
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A new poll has found that former President Trump is leading Vice President Harris 50% to 48% in the battleground state of North Carolina.
The East Carolina University survey of 1,250 registered voters was conducted from Oct. 24 to 29 and has a margin of error of 3%.
“Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have invested significant resources in North Carolina to win its 16 votes in the Electoral College,” Peter Francia, the director of the ECU Center for Survey Research, said in a statement.
“The reason for that is clear: North Carolina is still too close to call, and its electoral votes could be critical in deciding the winner of the presidential election,” he added.
ON ELECTION EVE, HARRIS AND TRUMP HOLD DUELING RALLIES IN THE BIGGEST OF THE BATTLEGROUNDS
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at recent campaign events in North Carolina. (AP/Evan Vucci/Jacquelyn Martin)
Voters who responded to the poll indicated that inflation and the overall cost of living is their most important issue, at 27%, followed by the economy at 24%, abortion at 14%, border security at 12% and the affordability of health care at 4%.
Within the electorate, Trump leads among White voters 64% to 34%, while Harris is leading among Black voters 89% to 10%, according to East Carolina University.
REPUBLICANS OUTPACING DEMOCRATS IN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING, DATA SHOWS
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, on Saturday, Nov. 2, in North Carolina. In the background is former President Trump’s campaign plane. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Across genders, Harris is leading Trump 52% to 47% among women, while men prefer Trump 54% to 44%, the poll revealed.
Voters who are under the age of 45 support Harris over Trump 57% to 41%, while Trump leads 56% to 43% among voters 45 and over, the results show.
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Kinston, North Carolina, on Sunday, Nov. 3. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The survey also found that 41% of the voters approve of the job President Biden is doing, while 54% disapprove.
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Former President Donald Trump, at his last North Carolina campaign stop, announced he would impose a substantial tariff on goods from Mexico if the country does not stop the flow of migrants coming into the U.S.
The event in Raleigh marked Trump’s last pitch to voters in North Carolina before Election Day — one of three scheduled battleground state stops on Monday.
“This is really the end of a journey. But a new one will be starting. And that’s the one we’ve wanted to partake in, which is basically to Make America Great Again,” Trump told attendees.
Trump announced for the first time that, if elected, he would impose an immediate 25% tariff on everything imported from Mexico if the country did not stop the influx of migrants and drugs pouring into the country.
REPUBLICANS OUTPACING DEMOCRATS IN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING, DATA SHOWS
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on Nov. 4, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Chip Somodevilla)
“I’m going to inform her [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum] on day one, or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America,” Trump said during the rally.
REPUBLICANS ARE RUNNING A ‘SUCCESSFUL’ EARLY VOTING CAMPAIGN IN BATTLEGROUND NORTH CAROLINA: NRCC CHAIR
“You’re the first ones I’ve told that to. Congratulations, North Carolina,” he added. “And it’s only got a 100% chance of working, because if that doesn’t work, I’ll make it 50, and if that does work, I’ll make it 75 for the tough guys. Then I’ll make it 100.”
Trump said that Mexico is “ripping us off left and right” as one of the U.S.’ biggest trading partners.
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on Nov. 4, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Chip Somodevilla)
Trump further discussed his plan for immigration and the southern border, saying, “We want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.”
“I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil. And if they come back into our country, it’s an automatic 10 years in jail with no possibility of parole,” he said. “And I’m hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer. And I will immediately ban all sanctuary cities.”
The former president also highlighted record early voting in the state, after about 4.2 million North Carolinians cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.
Hundreds of migrants are heading in a migrant caravan called the ‘Rey de Reyes’ toward the U.S. along the roads of southern Mexico in La Venta, the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco on Oct. 22, 2024.
Data from the North Carolina Board of Elections reveals that ballots cast through Friday show more than 1.4 million registered Republicans voted early compared to 1.35 million registered Democrats in the battleground state.
Trump was joined at Monday’s event by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
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