Media Networks Opt Out of Airing Trump’s Election Security Speech Live

ABC News, NBC News, and CNN decided not to broadcast President Donald Trump’s primetime speech on Thursday live. The address focused on election security and alleged issues during the 2020 election. Trump claimed “vital information” about the election was hidden from the public and accused China of interference. He argued newly declassified documents showed the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to stop his reelection. Trump’s assertions included intelligence reports from the FBI about China trying to produce illegal votes for Joe Biden.

Before the scheduled address, several liberal networks crafted their own strategies for covering Trump’s comments. ABC, NBC, and CNN refrained from live broadcasting his speech.

ABC, NBC, and CNN avoided airing President Donald Trump’s primetime address on election security live. (Saul Loeb/Pool via Getty Images)

CNN planned to cover Trump’s speech as a news event, mentioning they would monitor for developments and provide analysis on-air. The network streamed the speech on its website and platform. CNN’s John King explained their rationale, emphasizing the need to verify the newly declassified documents due to past inaccuracies from Trump regarding election security.

ABC News streamed Trump’s speech and covered it on ABC News Radio. A spokesperson stated ABC’s regular news programs would report on the address. Similarly, NBC News streamed the address and later presented a special report on broadcast television.

Both networks broadcast special reports summarizing Trump’s remarks post-speech during their usual programming. However, some ABC and NBC affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group did preempt regular programming to air the speech.

President Donald Trump alleged “vital information” was kept hidden from the American people about the 2020 election, including claims of meddling by China. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

During his address, Trump criticized ABC and NBC, labeling them “fake news” and accusing them of being part of a plot to hide corruption. He claimed the media’s actions were driven by a desire to protect the radical left and insisted on the necessity of free and fair elections.

Trump suggested revoking the networks’ licenses, arguing they use public airwaves without paying for their “multi-billion dollar” value. He emphasized the need for honesty in elections and media reporting.

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC News and NBC News, but they did not respond to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump slammed ABC and NBC as “fake news” over their decisions not to air his speech live, suggesting their broadcasting licenses should be revoked. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

CBS News aired a special report with initial analysis before briefly switching to the speech and cutting away after Trump’s critiques of ABC and NBC. MSNBC carried the first 15 minutes live before transitioning to commentary. Fox News aired the entire speech.

Networks occasionally skip presidential primetime addresses. ABC, CBS, and NBC did not air President Barack Obama’s 2014 immigration speech. Similarly, Joe Biden’s 2022 speech in Philadelphia was not aired live by these networks.

Joseph A. Wulfsohn, a media reporter for Fox News Digital, covered the story. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JosephWulfsohn.