Washington, United States. President Donald Trump criticized ABC, NBC and CNN after they did not broadcast his Thursday prime-time address on their primary platforms. The speech focused on election security four months before the midterm elections.
Broadcast decisions
Trump said the networks’ decisions were part of a “plot” and called for their licenses to be revoked.
“In a rare move NBC and ABC fake news have both said they would not cover this speech,” he said. “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.”
Broadcast networks have broad First Amendment rights to determine their programming, experts say, although they have historically carried many presidential addresses because of their public importance.
Streaming coverage
ABC News said late Thursday that it would carry the speech on its ABC News Live streaming platform and ABC News Radio, but not on its broadcast channel.
NBC News carried the remarks on its free NBC News NOW streaming service rather than its main broadcast channel, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company declined to comment.
CNN said it would monitor the speech for news. A live feed was available on its website and CNN All Access, its subscription streaming service.
The ABC and NBC streaming services generally reach fewer viewers than their traditional broadcast networks, while CNN’s digital service has a smaller audience than its regular cable channel.
Election claims
During the address, Trump declassified intelligence that he said showed Chinese interference in U.S. elections. He renewed his criticism of election security despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that found no evidence Beijing altered the 2020 election, which Trump lost.