Facebook on Monday removed a racist campaign ad that had originally been peddled by President Donald Trump late last week.
The ad, clearly designed to stoke fear, shows convicted cop killer and undocumented immigrant Luis Bracamontes bragging about murdering two police officers.
The video is extremely transparent in its effort to paint immigrants and particularly the "caravan" of refugees soldiering through Mexico, as a violent invasion and threat to American sovereignty.
"This ad violates Facebook's advertising policy against sensational content so we are rejecting it. While the video is allowed to be posted on Facebook, it cannot receive paid distribution," Facebook said in a statement Monday afternoon.
A spokesman for Facebook said the ad failed to meet the standards of their advertising policies.
"We have Community Standards that outline what is and isn't allowed on Facebook," the spokesperson said. "However, when it comes to ads on Facebook, we have a higher set of standards for what can run in an ad. Our Advertising Policies are more restrictive because they take paid distribution."
The individual also admitted the ad had been run in error because it didn't violate the site's Community Standards.
"Under our Community Standards," the person added, "this video is allowed to be posted on Facebook."
Many people think Facebook's move didn't come soon enough, given the midterm elections are tomorrow.
Trump's 2020 reelection campaign chairman Brad Parscale responded to Facebook's decision by doubling down on the administration's racist admonishment of asylum-seekers from Central America.
He probably shouldn't have done that.
As Parscale noted in his tweet, Facebook is not alone in its rebuke of the president's race-baiting.
NBC and Fox announced on Monday that they will cease airing the ad due to its racially-charged messaging.
"After further review," NBC said, "we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible."
Fox followed suit shortly thereafter.
"Upon further review," Fox ad sales president Marianne Gambelli told CNN in a statement, "Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network."
CNN refused to sell airtime for the ad after determining it was, indeed, racist.
"CNN has made it abundantly clear in its editorial coverage that this ad is racist," the network said in a tweet. "When presented with an opportunity to be paid to take a version of this ad, we declined. Those are the facts."
This, however, followed a spat with Donald Trump Jr., who on Saturday complained that CNN "refused to run" the spot.
