US television networks were divided on Thursday night over whether to broadcast Donald Trump's White House address live, as the former president delivered a speech heavy on unproven allegations about the integrity of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.
Networks' Choices
CNN, ABC, and NBC chose not to air the speech live, while CBS, Fox News, and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired at least large portions of it. ABC did not treat the speech as a must-run broadcast, but some affiliates, including the Washington DC station owned by right-leaning Sinclair, opted to air it.
Instead of a special report, NBC continued its scheduled nature documentary The Americas. CBS, which was set to air the sitcom Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, interrupted programming for the speech.
MS Now's Coverage
MS Now aired about half of the speech, despite warnings from host Jen Psaki, former Biden White House press secretary. She told viewers, “When you’re in the White House, these are selective moments a president typically takes to speak to the American public. We are not in normal times, as you all know. And this speech is not going to be about this country, and it is not going to be about the American people and the challenges people face.”
Trump's remarks focused on “the deep state” and alleged Chinese interference in US elections. About 15 minutes in, Psaki cut in to push back on his assertions. CBS also cut in after 20 minutes, bringing in anchor Tony Dokoupil and chief White House correspondent Major Garrett.
Network Justifications
Before the speech, Dokoupil explained CBS's decision to air a large portion: “It’s a speech expected to address safety and security of American elections, a topic, of course, that the president has talked a lot about for years now. At times, almost constantly, and honestly, much of what the president has said on this topic has been false. Most notably, of course, the claim that he won the 2020 election, when of course he did not. Because of this, there is an argument that it’s irresponsible to air the president’s speech tonight. But this speech will be made. It will be news. And it’s our job to cover the news. And so we are.”
CNN opted for a panel discussion with experts from across the political spectrum, displaying a graphic that read: “Trump Gives Address On Elections After Years of False Claims.” Anchor Kaitlan Collins said, “We’ll be monitoring what the president says tonight, as we always do, but aren’t taking it live, given the president has a well-documented history of saying blatantly false things about elections.”
Streaming and Reaction
ABC did not air the speech on its broadcast network but streamed it on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio. NBC also streamed it live and aired a special report afterward. Trump criticized ABC and NBC, suggesting they should lose their broadcast licenses, a common threat he has used against networks he dislikes. “They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason,” Trump said. “They want to protect the radical left.”
Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, posted on X: “Cowards. NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth. All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU. Tune in @WhiteHouse at 9:00pm EDT, where we always get bigger ratings than any of the networks.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity called the decision not to air the speech “pretty unheard of,” though networks have historically declined to air speeches viewed as purely political.
