Major TV Networks Won’t Say Whether They Will Broadcast Trump’s Primetime Speech

A Thursday night speech from President Donald Trump on “free and fair elections” may not be broadcast on any of the major channels. 

The network television stations — ABC, NBC, and CBS — have not yet committed to airing the primetime speech. The speech, expected to focus on election integrity, is set for 9:00 p.m. EST and will be streamed by The Daily Wire and across the White House social media channels. 

No adjustments to the channel’s primetime schedules have been made yet, and representatives from the networks have not commented on their plans when asked by media outlets, including The Daily Wire. 

Axios reported that officials from the networks “declined to comment” when asked if they would broadcast the speech, while Status reporter Natalie Korach reported that officials had yet to “divulge their coverage plans” for the speech. The Daily Wire reached out to representatives from the networks for comment. 

Trump said earlier this week that his speech would focus on “free and fair elections.” 

“It’s really, really big news, and our country has to shape up. That’s what we’re going to be talking about Thursday,” he said. “It doesn’t get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.”

While various reports have suggested that the speech could focus on alleged election fraud in Georgia or Chinese election interference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt kept the topic of the speech broad when asked by Axios. 

“President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections. We encourage every American to watch the president’s speech,” she said. 

The speech comes as Trump has repeatedly pushed Republicans in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID to vote in federal elections.

MS Now reported that Trump plans to discuss newly declassified intelligence reports on foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The White House would not confirm the report, referring The Daily Wire to Trump’s public remarks.

Washington Reporter journalist Matthew Foldi reported, citing “a well-placed source in Georgia,” that Trump could declare that Georgia Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock “are illegitimate because of fraud.”

Trump and the broadcast channels have fought for years, and the president has sued both CBS and ABC News.

A lawsuit against CBS over its selective editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris resulted in a $16 million settlement for Trump. The president was also paid $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against ABC over comments by host George Stephanopoulos.