The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was quick to shut down the notion that there was a political motive behind editing President Trump out of its airings of “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.”
Several media outlets had reported that the scene where Trump is asked by Macaulay Culkin’s character for directions to The Plaza Hotel’s main lobby was cut earlier this month. The deleted scene prompted outrage from both “Fox & Friends” and Donald Trump Jr. earlier Thursday who believe that the edit was politically motivated.
In a statement Thursday, CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said that the scene featuring Trump’s brief cameo was edited out in 2014 — prior to both Trump’s announcement of his presidential candidacy in 2015 and his election in 2016 — to allot more time for commercials.
“As is often the case with feature films adapted for television, Home Alone 2 was edited for time,” Thompson said in the statement. “The scene with Donald Trump was one of several that were cut from the movie as none of them were integral to the plot. These edits were done in 2014, when we first acquired the film and before Mr. Trump was elected president.”
Thompson added that eight minutes total were cut from the film.
