‘Misunderstanding’ Led to GMA’s Blur of Trump’s Campaign Podium
The alteration also appears in a video of the segment on the show’s Twitter account and in a video on ABC News’ YouTube channel.
The Wednesday broadcast of ABC’s Good Morning America blurred the portion of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago podium that showed a number through which supporters can contact—and donate to—the indicted former president’s 2024 campaign.
The network was airing footage from Trump’s grievance-filled, post-arraignment speech the previous night, during which time he spoke in withering terms about the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case, the prosecutor’s family, and the sprawling 34 felony counts of falsifying business records that he now faces.
The number on the podium was also blurred in a video of the segment on the show’s Twitter account and in a video on the network’s YouTube account. Other ABC shows, including David Muir’s World News Tonight, aired the unaltered footage later in the day.
A network source told The Daily Beast that the blurred podium was attributable to a “misunderstanding.” Nevertheless, many conservatives saw the incident as an example of media bias against the twice-impeached and now indicted former president.
Right-wing media personalities latched onto the footage Wednesday evening, writing online that the alteration amounted to “election interference,” among other things—and pointing to past instances where the network hadn’t blurred out similar messages from Joe Biden’s campaign podiums.
ABC News blurs out “TEXT TRUMP to 88022” in its coverage of Trump’s post-arraignment speech as reports suggest the Trump campaign has raised over $10 million since his indictment. pic.twitter.com/nCrE3XzSS5
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 5, 2023
“State-Run Media at Work,” far-right conspiracy blog The Gateway Pundit wrote on Twitter. “ABC Blurs Out “TEXT TRUMP AT 88022” on Podium During Tuesday’s Speech to Block Donations to His Campaign.”
A Republican operative close to Trump’s 2024 operation said the campaign was aware of the situation and that they were unhappy, raging at one point that ABC “better be able to show past examples of doing this to Democrats.”
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When reached by The Daily Beast, a representative for ABC declined to comment. The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
—Zachary Petrizzo contributed reporting.
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