Trump campaign threatens to sue networks airing ad claiming he called coronavirus a 'hoax'
President Trump's reelection campaign has threatened to sue television networks if they continued airing a political ad the president's team claims is "misleading." Priorities USA, a liberal super PAC, crafted the ad, titled “Exponential Threat,” which has caused a stir among Trump's campaign.
The ad spliced together comments the president has made regarding the coronavirus throughout the ongoing pandemic alongside a graphic depicting the rise in cases in the United States. A recent remark from Trump is highlighted in the ad, which is airing on networks in battleground states such as Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and shows him appearing to call the coronavirus a "hoax." The comment, which gained notoriety after former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign pushed the inaccurate version in a video of its own, stems from Trump's Feb. 28 rally in North Carolina. The ad shows the president saying both "coronavirus" and "this is their new hoax" to make it appear as though his full quote was, "Coronavirus, this is their new hoax."
However, the president actually called criticism from Democrats over his response to the outbreak a "hoax." "Now, the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," he said. "One of my people came up to me and said, 'Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.' That didn't work out too well. They couldn't do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. … And this is their new hoax.”
Alex Cannon, an attorney for the Trump campaign, sent cease-and-desist letters to every station airing the ad, threatening legal action if they don’t stop, according to Mediaite. “PUSA’s advertisement is false, misleading, and deceptive, and we formally demand that your station refuse to continue airing it to meet your responsibilities not to broadcast false information,” the letter read. “Should you fail to immediately cease broadcasting PUSA’s ad ‘Exponential Threat,’ Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. will have no choice but to pursue all legal remedies available to it in law and in equity; we will not stand idly by and allow you to broadcast false, deceptive, and misleading information concerning President’s Trump’s healthcare positions without consequence," the letter continued. The president's campaign has filed libel lawsuits against a multitude of media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN in recent months.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-campaign-threatens-to-sue-networks-airing-ad-claiming-he-called-coronavirus-a-hoax