Supporters of President Donald Trump are outraged over news that multiple major broadcasters will not be airing the president’s primetime address in full.
ABC and NBC both confirmed on Thursday that they will not air the president’s speech, in which he is expected to focus on conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, live on their broadcasts.
ABC clarified that the speech will be available on the network’s free streaming service, ABC News Live, and ABC News Radio “with comprehensive, anchored coverage,” adding that its Special Report team is “fully prepared to break into network programming to deliver live updates and reporting should significant developments occur.”
NBC will air the speech on its free streaming platform, NBC News NOW, and said that it will “plan to air a special report on the network following the remarks.”
CNN’s John King also confirmed that the network will join NBC and ABC in not airing the president’s speech live, telling viewers, “We’re going to be watching and listening to what he says tonight and we will bring you any breaking news ASAP, but we are not going to take the president’s speech live. That’s because of this president’s history of misleading and in some cases, false statements on the subject of elections and elections integrity.”
He added, “Also because the White House earlier today said he’ll be showing newly declassified documents and we want to make sure we have time to review them, to contextualize whatever he says, or shows, before airing it.”
The president’s biggest fans rushed to social media to express their outrage, with members of his own administration leading the charge.
“Cowards,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on X. “NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth. All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU.”
Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz invoked a phrase popularized by journalist Bob Woodward, and later adopted as a slogan by the Washington Post, in his own social media post condemning the media: “Democracy dies in darkness. Shameful behavior from ABC & NBC.”
Utah Senator Mike Lee weighed in, celebrating the fact that people would still be able to view the speech despite three networks opting to not air it live.
“There was a time when a decision by ABC, CBS, and NBC to *not* air a presidential address meant that it would be seen by very, very few people,” he wrote.
“Those days are behind us. So too are the days when legacy media networks were perceived as evenhanded brokers of political speech.”
Republican South Carolina congressman Rep. Ralph Norman was also infuriated by the snub, writing on X, “The LEADER of the Free World is being CENSORED by fake news media!!”
Trump strategist-turned-podcaster Steve Bannon also weighed in, calling for the network’s licenses to be pulled in a segment on his program, Bannon’s War Room.
“Fine, don’t cover it. Pull their license. The key to the license is do public good by covering major news events and major events that are for the good of the nation. If they’re not going to do that, just pull the license. Pull it,” he told his listeners.
“NBC doesn’t want to cover it? Pull the license. ABC doesn’t want to cover it? Pull the license. You’re adults. You made a decision. Let’s see how that sits with you.”
Others across the MAGAverse also weighed in, including former Hercules star Kevin Sorbo, who called for the networks’ licenses to be revoked.
Lindell TV host Emerald Robinson said that the move was proof that “the legacy outlets are controlled by our corrupt intel agencies” and called for their licenses to be revoked.
Popular MAGA X account @MAGAVoice argued that not only should the networks lose their licenses, but they should be bankrupted.
Independent conservative journalist Breanna Morello said, “This is why you don’t provide the topic of discussion in advance.”
“They’re trying to shelter half the country from the truth.”
Lindell TV’s Cara Castronuova asked Karoline Leavitt at Thursday’s press briefing why the mainstream media is “so fearful” of the president’s speech and the subject of election interference in the 2020 election in general.
“I think that the mainstream media should air the president’s speech and allow the American people to draw their own conclusions from it,” Leavitt said.
“I think it’s important that the American public hears directly from the President of the United States on a topic that, to your point, is very near and dear to the hearts of many Americans across the country: the integrity of our elections. This should be a non-partisan, non-controversial issue, and I think you’ll hear the president talk about that tonight.”
The president addressed the issue of networks opting not to air his speech live in the speech itself, also calling for their licenses to be revoked and accusing them of being part of a plot to conceal information from the American public and protect the “radical left.”
“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” Trump argued, adding, “all we want is honesty in our elections and honesty in our reporting.”
