The Trump impersonator, based in Nashville, whose commercials for a local furniture store were blocked by the leftwing corporate owners of a radio station and TV station, announced today they are now uncensored and will be running as planned.

“There's nothing even political in the ad,” said Shawn Farash, who hosts the LFA show “Ungoverned” and is a regular on the “Trump Tuesday” X-Space. 

“It's about dryers and ranges and no hidden charges. So they won't run the ad. And it sucks. It sucks that they won't run the ad because it's a funny ad, and it would've done really well,” he said upon learning initially that the ads would not run.

Friday, Farash posted an update on X: 

I have GREAT news about the DT McCall and sons ads that got CENSORED. Due to public pressure and backlash generated by EVERYONE HERE ON X, NEWS CHANNEL 5 CAPITULATED and is now going to run the ads!

THANK YOU ALL for sharing this. YOU DID THIS!

A BIG WIN FOR THE GOOD GUYS!

I have GREAT news about the DT McCall and sons ads that got CENSORED.

Due to public pressure and backlash generated by EVERYONE HERE ON X, NEWS CHANNEL 5 CAPITULATED and is now going to run the ads!

THANK YOU ALL for sharing this. YOU DID THIS!

A BIG WIN FOR THE GOOD GUYS! https://t.co/KVVoUcrzHK

— Shawn Farash (@Shawn_Farash) November 1, 2024

Farash: Cumulus, Scripps Media are leftwing media corporations

Farash said he believes both Scripps Media and Cumulus shut his ads because of their animus for Trump.

“I remember Cumulus had an intense vaccine mandate for a long time,” he said. 

It led to a public row with talk show host Dan Bongino, he said. 

“Bongino said: ‘If you're going to mandate this, I'm not renewing my contract, and it was a huge thing, and he was even off the air for a day,” he said. “He didn't want to get the vaccine because he had cancer.”

In its “2023 Corporate Sustainability Report,” signed by Cumulus CEO Mary C. Berner, it was announced that the company had initiated an “intensive 28-day anti-racism program for senior leadership” and “professionally facilitated training sessions for our senior leadership, as well as all market and business unit managers, on topics including race and allyship, and managing unconscious bias.”

The company also mandates company-wide diversity, equity, and inclusiveness through training vignettes and video sessions on tokenism, privilege, and microaggressions and its annual "Harassment Prevention" training.

“Scripps, we know who they are, and they have a reputation of being liberal, and it was just a clear cut case of they don't want to run it, obviously because it's Trump-themed and they're hiding behind,” he said. 

It has to be more than just the lawyers, Farash said. 

“Nobody is saying that Trump endorsed it. Nobody even says the word ‘Trump’ in the ad. I don't even say it's your favorite president,” he said.

“Scripps similarly offers a webpage extolling its commitment to DEI,” he said. 

“It explains the commitment to a diverse and inclusive culture, starts by looking inward to build and celebrate a diverse and inclusive workplace, which is reflected through the broadcasters recruiting and hiring practices.”

Farash: I started the Trump impression when I was selling cable service on Long Island

Farash, who moved to the Volunteer State from Long Island, New York, said he started his Trump impersonation when he was selling cable TV services on the island because he thought it was a funny way to keep people interested in his sales pitch. He further developed it as a Republican campaign organizer and operative.

My RedState colleague Nick Arama wrote about Farash's antics in this piece: "WATCH: 'Trump' Impersonator Hilariously Explains How He Worked at McDonald's Like Kamala."

In the past, he has posted videos of ordering fast food like Trump and made voicemail greetings for friends, but it was after he spoke at a county Republican meeting that he got the call to make the TV commercial and have the audio run on the radio.

“One of our state senators, Mae Beavers, she took a video of when I was speaking and sent it to all her friends,” he said. 

One of her friends passed the video to A.J. McCall, whose family owns the D.T. McCall furniture and appliance store.

“He sends A.J. my phone number, and A.J. calls two minutes after, and he gets on the phone with me, and he's like: ‘I heard you doing Trump today, and I've never heard anything so spot on in my life, and I've been looking for this for two years, and nobody's ever sounded like him-- he said: ‘I want you to do ads, radio ads.’”

Farash told McCall he had the equipment to cut a commercial himself, but the businessman said it would not be necessary. “He goes: ‘No, no. I've got a contract with local Channel 5. They send out a guy, and we shoot the commercials in my store.’”

After Farash cut the TV ad and some radio ads, McCall called him to say the Cumulus-owned WWTN 99.7-FM was not running the ad. “He goes: Hey, we're running into some friction with 99 7, the Cumulus station out here. That's ‘WTN, I believe he said that they're afraid they're going to get sued because it sounds too much like Trump.”

The former GOP operative said it was not all bad to hear: “I was like, well, that's the best compliment I've ever.”

Farash added a disclaimer to the radio ad, but Cumulus still would not run it. However, it is now running on “The Blow Torch” WENO 760-AM.

“I could understand from the Cumulus perspective because it’s radio,” he said. “You don't necessarily hear the disclaimer. You hear this voice, which sounds just like Donald Trump talking about how great this furniture store is, the couches, the hose, and all this stuff.”

Then, he learned that the E.W. Scripps Company-owned Channel 5 refused to run the ad that their own crew shot, he said.

Farash said that while he understands why someone listening to the radio might be confused, there is no way someone would be confused watching a commercial on TV.

The impersonator said Channel 5 gave a statement to The Tennessee Star claiming it was the lawyers, but he does not buy it.

“Nobody told me directly it was political,” he said. 

“My understanding of trademark law is that it should be obviously a parody of Trump because there's the impersonator right there on the screen,” he said.

“You can tell it's not Trump, and there's a general understanding that it's political. I don't understand what legal issue they would have with that.”