CNN accused Fox News of selectively editing a recent segment featuring former President Donald Trump’s visit to a Bronx barbershop, where he interacted with patrons and answered questions. The network aired a condensed 15-minute version that omitted several of Trump’s controversial remarks, according to CNN.
CNN claims several exaggerated statements about immigration in Ohio, crime in Colorado and praise for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The network also claimed the edits were aimed at presenting Trump in a more favorable light.
Fox News stated that all barbershop interviews are pre-taped and edited for time and clarity. Officials noted the Bronx segment ran nearly an hour in its original form. The network maintains that segments were edited to streamline Trump’s responses.
However, CNN contends that the edits altered the perception of Trump’s responses. The network cited a now-deleted Instagram video from an audience member that showed Trump taking longer, unedited pauses and answering repeated questions more indirectly.
CNN alleges that Fox condensed Trump’s answers to offer more straightforward sound bites that made him appear direct and on-topic. In one case, Fox cut Trump’s lengthy response about eliminating federal taxes.
The original video showed Trump discussing unrelated topics before finally answering the question after being prompted multiple times. The video has since been deleted by the audience member who posted it on Instagram.
This controversy mirrors Trump’s recent accusation that CBS similarly edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes“. Trump claimed CBS cut certain responses to enhance Harris’ image. Trump demanded that CBS release the unedited footage, accusing the network of bias.
Critics, however, argue that the CBS edits were intended for promotional snippets. They said Fox’s approach removed portions from the primary segment, potentially misrepresenting Trump’s full dialogue with barbershop patrons.
Media analysts are now raising questions about how network editing choices might impact public perception of political figures. Fox’s cuts, they argue, could create a skewed narrative of Trump’s responses, while the incident underscores broader concerns over transparency in network television. Fox has yet to release the full unedited footage from Trump’s barbershop visit to clarify CNN’s claims.
