ABC and NBC have confirmed that they will not air President Donald Trump's primetime address on July 16 on their broadcast networks.
The President's address is expected to focus on election security ahead of the SAVE America Act, a controversial federal election reform bill that aims to mandate strict proof-of-citizenship and photo identification requirements for federal elections, and potentially continue ongoing allegations that the 2020 election was rigged; Joe Biden won the presidential race and served for four years.
© Getty ImagesThe address will air on the network's streaming sites, ABC News Now and NBC News Now. CBS News has not confirmed its coverage plans.
Fox News, CNN, and MS NOW have also not announced their plans.
ABC News has confirmed it will break in for a special report depending on developments in the speech, and NBC News will air a special report on the network after the speech.
© Zuffa LLCWith the networks unable to verify what Trump will say ahead of time, there is fear around fact-checking potential unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen. In 2023, Fox News paid $787 million in damages when hosts and guests amplified allegations that the company Dominion was involved in rigging.
Trump has been making election fraud allegations for almost a decade, including suggestions that foreign powers have hijacked votes, and claims that federal and state officials rigged the 2020 election. Those claims led to the January 6th attack on the Capitol in Washington DC.
© AFP via Getty ImagesTrump and allies have also filed over 60 lawsuits with judges rejecting the claims due to a lack of substantial evidence.
"Without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country," Trump said, when asked to preview his address.
"It will shock you if you have an honest eye listening to the president tonight, and everything he is saying will be backed by facts and evidence that will be provided this evening," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier in the day, insisting that the speech will be about the integrity of elections.
© Getty ImagesHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Thursday: "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?"
It's not the first time networks have declined to run a President's speech; in 2022, ABC, CBS, and NBC all declined to run a speech by then-President Joe Biden.
