On Thursday, July 17th, 2026, ABC News, NBC News, and CNN opted not to air former President Donald Trump’s primetime address on election security and alleged vulnerabilities during the 2020 election live on their networks. Trump claimed that "vital information" about the 2020 election had been "covered up and hidden" from the American public.

During his speech from the White House, Trump accused China of meddling in the 2020 election. He cited newly declassified documents, including CIA reports alleging that the Chinese Communist Party sought to prevent his reelection, and FBI intelligence claiming China attempted to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden.

Ahead of the address, the five liberal networks planned their coverage strategies individually. CNN stated it would treat the speech "as a news event, and monitor it for news developments," providing analysis and commentary rather than live coverage. CNN anchor John King explained the decision by noting that Trump "has a history of misleading, and in some cases, simply false statements" on elections and election security, and that the network wanted to independently verify the newly declassified documents released by the Trump administration.

Both ABC and NBC also refrained from live broadcasts but aired special reports summarizing Trump’s remarks shortly after the speech concluded. MSNBC aired the first 15 minutes live before switching to commentary.

Trump criticized ABC and NBC during his address for not airing the speech live, suggesting they avoid the topic because they "know how corrupt our system is, and they don't want to reveal it." He further stated, "Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses," arguing that these networks use public airwaves without paying for them and called for honesty in elections and reporting.

Sources