Trump Slams U.S. Networks for Not Airing Election Security Speech, Cites 'Conspiracy'

Two of the three major U.S. television networks, along with CNN, opted not to broadcast President Donald Trump's prime-time speech on Thursday, a decision that risked the ire of an administration that had exerted unprecedented pressure on American media. The speech, delivered four months before crucial midterm elections, centered on election security.

During his address, Trump accused the networks that bypassed his broadcast of engaging in a "conspiracy" and suggested their licenses should be revoked. Experts note that networks possess broad First Amendment rights to decide their programming. Historically, however, broadcasters have aired most such speeches, citing the provision of information of public interest.

Late Thursday afternoon, ABC News announced it would carry Trump's speech on its streaming platform, ABC News Live, and ABC News Radio, but not on its broadcast channel. NBC News planned to stream the president's remarks on its free streaming service, NBC News NOW, but not on its main broadcast channel, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company declined to comment. CNN stated it would cover the speech for news, with a live stream appearing on its website and CNN All Access, its subscription streaming channel. ABC and NBC's streaming channels generally reach a fraction of the audience of their traditional broadcast signals. CNN's digital network is a paid service with a smaller audience than its regular cable channel.

In his speech, Trump declassified intelligence data he claimed showed Chinese interference in U.S. elections, reviving his long-standing attacks on election security. This occurred despite U.S. intelligence assessments that found no evidence Beijing altered the 2020 vote, which he lost. Before the speech, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt indicated Trump might also touch upon the Iran situation and the economy, calling it "another reason" for networks to broadcast the speech live. Trump briefly mentioned the U.S.-Iran war, stating the U.S. was winning, and claimed the U.S. economy was in its best-ever shape, but his primary focus remained on his election security accusations. Trump has a history of sowing doubt about election outcomes, falsely claiming his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was rigged. He has also baselessly asserted that mail-in voting is rife with fraud and that voting machines are susceptible to manipulation.