Trump demands licence revocation for ‘corrupt’ major networks | US | News
President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC and ABC during his speech at the White House on Thursday, July 16, after both broadcasters refused to air his speech live.
A few hours before the 80-year-old commander-in-chief’s White House speech, scheduled for 9pm EST on Thursday, it was confirmed that neither ABC nor NBC would televise the speech. Instead, broadcasters opted to air Trump’s address exclusively on their own digital platforms, despite widespread expectations that his remarks would focus on the already discredited 2020 presidential election fraud.
Trump confirmed those predictions by repeatedly referencing claims of election fraud throughout his speech, only momentarily pausing to level the accusations to target NBC and ABC.
“In a rare move, both NBC and ABC fake news said they would not air this speech,” Trump said.
He added: “[ABC and NBC] He knew what it was about. Because they don’t like the subject. Because they know how corrupt our system is and they don’t want to expose it. They and others in the media are part of a conspiracy. For whatever reason, they want this scam to continue. They want to keep it going.”
Trump claimed that “fraud” by ABC and NBC warranted the “revocation” of their “licenses.”
Journalist Brian Stelter first revealed in an X series he published ahead of the White House event that NBC and ABC would not air Trump’s address live.
“In summary: Trump won’t get the wall-to-wall airtime he wants from everyone, but the speech will be widely broadcast and accessible,” Brian wrote.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung slammed
An NBC spokesperson confirmed to Mediaite only that Brian’s report was accurate, while an ABC representative offered Mediaite a statement regarding the decision.
“ABC News will provide comprehensive, steady coverage of President Trump’s speech on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio.
“We will also cover the conversation on our regular network news broadcasts and, as always, our Special Reports team is fully prepared to dive into network programming to provide live updates and reporting should significant developments occur,” an ABC spokesperson told Mediaite.
