Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is appearing on Saturday Night Live this weekend and the network has been releasing the standard host and stars promo. However, NBC says it “accidentally” published three of the promos on YouTube that were not intended for release. In one, Trump refers to his closest competitor, Dr. Ben Carson, as a “real loser.”
“Because of equal time rules for television, Mr. Trump can only speak for four seconds in this promo,” Cecily Strong said. “So let me just say this,” Trump adds. “Ben Carson is a complete and total loser.”
The video was live for four hours before it was pulled and a new video was published on YouTube.
NBC has remained largely silent on the matter, although a spokesman did provide NBC’s own Peter Alexander with a statement.
Carson responded to Trump’s attack by dismissing it. “I discovered when I was in grade school that those tactics really are for grade school. And I’ve gone far beyond that now,” he told reporters while in Florida.