US television networks were divided on Thursday night over whether to broadcast Donald Trump's White House address live, a speech that focused on unsubstantiated claims about the integrity of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden. While CNN, ABC, and NBC chose not to air the speech live, CBS, Fox News, and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired significant portions of it. ABC did not treat the speech as a must-run broadcast, but some affiliates, including the Washington DC station owned by Sinclair, a right-leaning broadcaster, chose to air it.
Networks' decisions and justifications
NBC opted to continue airing its scheduled nature documentary The Americas instead of interrupting for a special report, unlike CBS which aired the speech live. CBS was originally scheduled to broadcast the sitcom Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage. MS Now aired about half of the speech, despite warnings from host Jen Psaki, former Biden White House press secretary, who told viewers this was not a typical presidential address. “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,” Psaki said.
Trump's remarks targeted “the deep state” and alleged Chinese interference in US elections. About 15 minutes into the speech, Psaki interrupted to fact-check his assertions. CBS also cut in after 20 minutes, bringing in Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil and chief White House correspondent Major Garrett. Dokoupil explained the network's decision before the speech: “It’s a speech expected to address safety and security of American elections, a topic 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, 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 and ABC's alternative coverage
Rather than airing the speech, CNN hosted a panel discussion with experts from across the political spectrum. The network's on-screen graphic read: “Trump Gives Address On Elections After Years of False Claims.” Anchor Kaitlan Collins told viewers: “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.” ABC did not air the speech on its main network but broadcast it on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio. Trump criticized ABC and NBC for not carrying the speech live, suggesting they should lose their broadcast licenses, a common threat he has made against networks he dislikes. “They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to protect the radical left,” Trump said.
Reactions and historical context
NBC also aired the speech live on its streaming service and broadcast a special report after it concluded. Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, attacked the networks on X, writing: “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 it “pretty unheard of” for networks to skip a prime-time presidential address, though there is precedent for networks declining to air speeches deemed overly political.
