A televised speech quickly turned into a new fight over the media. President Donald Trump accused ABC and NBC of hiding his message. What began as a primetime address on election security soon shifted into another chapter in Trump’s long-running battle with television networks. His criticism centered less on the speech itself and more on who chose not to put it on live television.
Donald Trump attacked ABC and NBC after major networks declined to air his election-security address live
Before discussing his claims about election security, Trump took aim at ABC and NBC for skipping live coverage of his address. During the speech, he argued the networks knew what he planned to discuss and accused them of shielding viewers from it. Calling the situation “fraud,” Trump said the decision should lead to their broadcast licenses being revoked (via Politico).
The two networks did not completely ignore the event. While neither carried the speech live on their main broadcast channels, both streamed it on their digital platforms. Other outlets took different approaches.
CBS, Fox News and MS NOW aired at least portions of the address, while CNN, ABC and NBC chose not to broadcast it live on television. Trump centered his comments on claims that China illegally obtained millions of U.S. voter records while trying to influence the 2018 and 2020 elections.
The clash also echoed one of Trump’s long-running battles with the media. Over the years, he has repeatedly argued that TV networks he believes treat him unfairly should face the possibility of losing their broadcast licenses.
He recently made similar remarks about ABC during the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and again in December, when he said broadcasters with overwhelmingly negative coverage should have their licenses “terminated.”
However, legal experts say that’s not how the rules work. TV networks aren’t required to drop their primetime schedules every time there is a presidential speech.
