- A TV station fired its chief political analyst for his remark on Trump's "orange looming face."
- Analyst Bill Crane said some viewers found the comment offensive and called the station to protest.
- The station said Crane's comment failed to meet its standards for unbiased reporting and analysis.
An Atlanta-based TV station fired its longtime chief political commentator and analyst on Monday for mocking former President Donald Trump's physical appearance during a live broadcast.
Bill Crane had worked on WSB-TV as an analyst since 2006 until he was terminated for remarking on Trump's "looming orange face," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.
The TV station aired a statement from its general manager, Ray Carter, that said Crane had "uttered remarks about former President Donald Trump not aligned with our commitment for fair and unbiased reporting and analysis."
"As a result, we're ending our relationship with Mr. Crane, effective immediately," the statement read.
Crane made the remark during a Sunday appearance on WSB's Channel 2 when he was asked about Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Brian Kemp having their testimonies delayed in the Fulton County District Attorney's investigation into Trump, per a clip posted on Crane's Facebook page.
"Their stated reasons are different. But the reality is there's an election that's just ahead of us. Labor Day is when undecided voters, non-aligned voters really start focusing on the election ahead," Crane said.
"And keeping Donald Trump and his fantasy of elections being stolen in November of 2020 in play keeps Donald Trump and his looming orange face in front of voters at a time when they're trying to decide how they're going to vote," he said.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Crane said some viewers found his comment "extremely offensive" and called WSB or sent it emails and text messages to protest his description of Trump's visage.
He added that WSB felt he had "crossed a line, that the attack was personal (on President Trump), and that I had demonstrated bias, against Trump and the GOP, which was not recoverable."
Crane said he stood by his analysis, although he apologized for the remark and wrote, "perhaps in my verbiage I certainly could have been a bit more PC."
"I have previously referred, in print and broadcast, to the former President as 'The Orange Man,' though admittedly always with a smile," he wrote. "I'm sure that strong supporters of the former President find that offensive. And I do apologize for that, as the comment last night and in other instances was not meant to offend."
He wrote that he held no ill-will towards WSB-TV, calling its team a "class act," and said he hoped to continue as a political analyst elsewhere.
"I would like to think part of the reason I have been able to do this for 22 years in a top 10 media market is that I call the hard balls and strikes on either side and attempt to do so with a bit of humor, sarcasm, the occasional pun, and with tongue in cheek," Crane wrote.
Trump's critics commonly use the terms "orange face" and "orange man" to mock the former president. However, Trump supporters have also used the same insults to parody his critics.