US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump’s election-focused speech

U.S. television networks presented a fractured response to Donald Trump's White House address on Thursday night, with several major broadcasters choosing not to air his speech live due to its focus on unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election.

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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.

CNN, ABC, and NBC decided against live coverage. ABC did not classify the speech as a "must-run" broadcast, though some local affiliates aired it. NBC opted to continue its scheduled programming, a nature documentary, instead of interrupting for Trump's remarks. CNN hosted a panel discussion and displayed a graphic questioning Trump's claims.

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It’s a speech expected to address safety and security of American elections, a topic, of course, 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, of course, 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.

In contrast, CBS, Fox News, and MS Now broadcast significant portions of the speech live. CBS aired the address as a special report, with anchor Tony Dokoupil explaining the decision was based on the journalistic duty to cover news, despite acknowledging that much of Trump's rhetoric on election integrity has been false. MS Now's host Jen Psaki, a former Biden White House press secretary, warned viewers that the speech would not be about the American people's challenges.

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Trump Gives Address On Elections After Years of False Claims.

Both CBS and MS Now interrupted Trump's speech to fact-check or provide context. CBS brought in anchors and correspondents to push back on his assertions about the electoral system about 20 minutes into the address. MS Now cut into the speech about 15 minutes in, with Psaki challenging his claims about the "deep state" and alleged Chinese meddling in U.S. elections.

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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.