ABC and NBC put Trump primetime speech on streaming only
The president’s Thursday night address is expected to revisit 2020 election claims as he pushes the SAVE America Act, Deadline reported.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
ABC and NBC will carry President Donald Trump’s Thursday night address on their streaming news channels only, Deadline reported, as TV networks face a thorny primetime call over a speech expected to return to his claims about the 2020 election.
Deadline reported that the major broadcast networks had not all announced whether they would interrupt regular programming for the address. The hesitation comes as Trump is expected to discuss intelligence claims tied to the 2020 presidential race and use them to argue for the SAVE America Act, according to the report.
Trump previewed the speech earlier in the week when asked by reporters what he planned to say. “Without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” he said, according to Deadline.
The subject puts networks in a delicate spot. Deadline noted that carrying the address live in primetime could give a national broadcast platform to claims that the 2020 election was “rigged,” a position Trump has continued to promote despite courts rejecting dozens of challenges from his campaign before the election was certified.
The networks have made different calls on Trump’s recent appearances, Deadline reported. They carried his April 1 primetime address on the war in Iran. His July 4 speech at the National Mall, which was billed as a rally, did not receive the same broadcast treatment.
The expected election-security theme also raises the issue of live fact-checking. Deadline reported that if Trump cites foreign interference or repeats unfounded claims that the 2020 race was stolen, networks would face pressure to respond quickly and clearly.
Deadline also pointed to the fallout from those claims after the 2020 election. The claims preceded the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and Fox News later settled a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems after hosts and guests aired allegations that the company had helped rig the vote.
The SAVE America Act is central to the expected speech, according to Deadline. The bill would require documents such as a birth certificate or passport to register to vote. Democrats have described Trump’s push for the measure as an effort to restrict voting access.
Deadline reported that some Democrats also fear Trump could use a likely failure to pass the bill to cast doubt on the midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took aim at Trump on Thursday, telling reporters: “Something is really wrong with this guy. I think he actually needs to be checked out. Why does he continue to focus on a conspiracy theory related to a 2020 presidential election that every rational person in the United States of America knows he lost.”
The cable side had not fully shown its cards either. Deadline reported that Fox News, CNN and MS NOW had not announced formal plans, though they were expected to provide at least some coverage during the hour because the address falls during their regular primetime news blocks.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.