NBC and ABC hit Donald Trump with a major setback hours before national presidential address

ABC and NBC have confirmed that they will not broadcast President Donald Trump’s primetime address on their main television networks on July 16, although both will make the speech available through their streaming news platforms. The decision has attracted widespread attention as the President prepares to deliver remarks expected to focus on election security and the proposed SAVE America Act.

According to the White House, Trump’s speech will centre on protecting the integrity of federal elections and promoting the SAVE America Act, a controversial election reform proposal. The bill would require voters in federal elections to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and valid photo identification before casting a ballot. Supporters argue the measures would strengthen election security and increase public confidence in voting, while critics believe they could make it more difficult for some eligible citizens to vote.

The speech is also expected to revisit President Trump’s long-standing claims that there were serious problems with the 2020 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly argued that the election was unfair, despite Joe Biden being declared the winner and serving a full four-year term as President. Those claims have remained a major part of Trump’s political message for several years.

Rather than carrying the address live on their broadcast channels, ABC and NBC will stream it on ABC News Now and NBC News Now. Both networks have also indicated they will provide special reports after the speech, with ABC saying it could interrupt programming if significant developments occur during the President’s remarks. At the time of the announcement, CBS News had not confirmed whether it would air the speech, while Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC had not publicly announced their coverage plans.

One reason for the cautious approach by some broadcasters is the concern over how to handle claims that cannot be independently verified while they are being made live on air. Media organisations have increasingly faced pressure to balance live coverage of major political speeches with the need to fact-check statements in real time, particularly when they relate to disputed election claims.

Those concerns have been heightened by previous legal cases involving election-related reporting. In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay nearly $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems after the company argued that false claims about its voting machines had been repeatedly aired. The settlement became one of the largest defamation payouts in American media history.

President Trump has questioned the integrity of U.S. elections for many years, raising concerns about voter fraud, foreign interference, and alleged misconduct by election officials. Following the 2020 election, he and his allies challenged the results through more than 60 lawsuits filed in courts across the United States. Judges dismissed or rejected the vast majority of those cases, frequently stating there was not enough evidence to support the claims.

The aftermath of the 2020 election also led to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of President Trump entered the Capitol building as Congress met to certify the Electoral College results. The events remain one of the most significant and controversial moments in recent American political history.

When asked what viewers should expect from his upcoming address, President Trump defended the purpose of the speech by saying, “Without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.” He suggested that the evidence presented during the address would demonstrate why stronger election safeguards are needed.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also defended the planned speech, telling reporters that Americans who watched with an open mind would hear information supported by facts and evidence. She said the President’s remarks would focus on preserving election integrity and restoring public confidence in the voting system.

Democratic leaders strongly criticised the President’s continued focus on the 2020 election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued that the issue had already been settled and questioned why Trump continued discussing a result that courts, election officials, and previous investigations have repeatedly upheld. Jeffries said the President should move on from what he described as a conspiracy theory that had already been rejected.

The decision by some television networks not to carry the speech live is not without precedent. In 2022, ABC, CBS, and NBC also chose not to broadcast a speech by then-President Joe Biden on their main networks, showing that broadcasters have previously made similar editorial decisions involving presidential addresses under different administrations.