CBS Bails on Trump’s Election Fraud Speech as ABC, NBC Black Out Broadcast [WATCH]

CBS News carried part of President Donald Trump’s prime-time address on election fraud Thursday evening before ending its live coverage several minutes before the speech concluded, while ABC and NBC chose not to air the address on their broadcast television networks, as reported by The New York Post.

Trump delivered the approximately 25-minute speech from the East Room of the White House on Thursday, July 16.

Before CBS joined the address, anchor Tony Dokoupil explained the network’s decision to carry the speech despite concerns surrounding the president’s claims.

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“Much of what the President has said on [security of American elections] has been false,” Dokoupil said.

He continued, “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.”

CBS began airing the speech after it had already started and concluded its live coverage roughly five minutes before Trump finished speaking.

The network switched away shortly after the president criticized ABC and NBC for not broadcasting his remarks and called for both networks to lose their broadcast licenses.

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After ending its live coverage, Dokoupil began fact-checking Trump’s statements regarding alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election.

News organizations are not required to broadcast presidential speeches live, and decisions on whether to carry them are generally made by network executives based on the content and news value of each address.

Earlier this year, when Trump delivered a prime-time speech regarding the war with Iran in April, the major broadcast networks carried the address live.

During Thursday’s speech, Trump accused China of working with some American journalists in an effort to discredit him.

He also criticized ABC and NBC for declining to air his remarks on their broadcast television networks.

According to Trump, the networks were aware of the subject of his speech before it began.

“They knew what it was about because of the fact that they don’t like the topic because they know how corrupt our system is, and they don’t want to reveal it,” Trump said.

He also alleged broader media involvement, stating:

“They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going. They want to protect the radical left.”

Trump later called for regulatory action against the networks, saying, “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.”

Although ABC and NBC did not carry the address on their over-the-air television networks, both organizations streamed the speech on their digital platforms.

NBC also aired a previously scheduled network special after the president’s remarks concluded.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung criticized the decision by ABC and NBC before the speech began.

“Cowards. NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth. All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU,” Cheung wrote on X.

Coverage also varied across cable news outlets. Fox News carried the speech live in its entirety. CNN did not broadcast the address live, while MS Now aired portions of Trump’s remarks.

Unlike broadcast television networks, cable news channels do not operate under broadcast licenses issued by the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC has the authority to revoke or decline to renew broadcast licenses under certain circumstances.

However, any attempt to revoke the licenses of a major broadcast network would likely result in an extended legal challenge.

The differing decisions by broadcast and cable news organizations highlighted varying editorial approaches to covering the president’s address, with some networks choosing full live coverage, others providing partial coverage, and some limiting the speech to their streaming platforms.

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