ABC, NBC Stream Trump Address Online Only as 2020 Election Claim Fears Keep Broadcast Networks Off-Air
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Jul 16
ABC, NBC Stream Trump Address Online Only as 2020 Election Claim Fears Keep Broadcast Networks Off-Air
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Jul 16
Summary
ABC News and NBC News said they will carry Donald Trump’s Thursday primetime address only on ABC News Now and NBC News Now, not on their broadcast networks.
The restriction reflects concern that Trump may revive unsupported claims about the 2020 election and use them to press the SAVE America Act, a voting measure Democrats call suppressive.
NBC plans a network special report after the speech, while ABC said it will monitor the address and break in on broadcast if developments warrant; CBS had not announced plans.
Trump’s team says the speech will focus on election integrity and include evidence, but courts rejected dozens of 2020 challenges and similar claims helped fuel the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
The decision contrasts with April 1, when broadcast networks carried Trump’s Iran-war address, and underscores how election-fraud rhetoric is forcing outlets to weigh live coverage against real-time fact-checking.