CNN denies rumor that it extended delay for debate to 1-2 mins to help hide Biden gaffes

CNN denied a rumor made on social media about the broadcast delay for the first presidential debate on Thursday.

The report said that the network had extended the delay from the usual seven seconds until broadcast to 1-2 minutes. Critics of the network claimed that it would use the extra time to clean up Biden's performance for viewers.

'CNN is a propaganda network for the Democrat Party and for Joe Biden.'

Among those who circulated the rumor was Donald Trump Jr. from his official account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Live TV has a seven second delay. Why on earth would CNN need a 1-2 MINUTE delay unless they were planning a [sic] manipulating tonight's debate?" he asked rhetorically.

"Same with Biden refusing to take a drug test. If he wasn't jacked up on all sorts of drugs, why wouldn't he submit to such an easy test?" he added.

That tweet was later deleted after CNN denied the rumor.

"This is false. The debate will begin live at 9pm ET," read a post from CNN's public relations account.

The Trump campaign has hammered CNN on several fronts. Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for the Trump campaign, lambasted the network for the choice of debate moderators while a guest on the network. Anchor Kasie Hunt shut down the interview and later denounced the Trump campaign for criticizing CNN reporters.

"You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows," Hunt wrote in a message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Leavitt continued her campaign against CNN on other shows and podcasts.

"CNN is a propaganda network for the Democrat Party and for Joe Biden. They have pushed endless lies about President Trump," she said later, "from [the] Russia hoax to the Charlottesville lie to the Hunter Biden laptop. They've covered for Joe Biden over the past several years."

Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas also demanded that Biden take a drug test ahead of the debate.

"President Biden, in advance of the first scheduled 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta on June 27, 2024, and on behalf of millions of concerned Americans, I demand that you submit to a clinically validated drug test in order to reassure the American people that you are mentally fit to serve as President and not relying on performance enhancing drugs to help you with your debate performance or on a day-to-day basis to assist you in performing your duties as President of the United States," he wrote.

"This drug test should be administered both immediately before and after the debate and should include, but not be limited to, performance enhancing drugs," Jackson wrote.

Trump said that he would be willing to take a drug test if Biden would do so.

The Biden campaign rejected the offer and called Trump "desperate" for the suggestion.

"Donald Trump is so scared of being held accountable for his toxic agenda of attacking reproductive freedom and cutting Social Security that he and his allies are resorting to desperate, obviously false lies," read a statement from a spokesperson of the campaign.

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