Why NBC and ABC skipped Trump’s primetime address despite severe threats of sanctions

News

World

Why NBC and ABC skipped Trump’s primetime address despite severe threats of sanctions

Mid-speech, Trump accused NBC and ABC of colluding in a "plot" by skipping the broadcast, calling it a "rare move" and arguing "fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses."

4 min readJul 17, 2026 04:05 PM IST

First published on: Jul 17, 2026 at 04:05 PM IST

President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House. (Photo: AP)

ABC and NBC declined to air President Donald Trump’s primetime address on election security on their main broadcast networks Thursday, prompting Trump to accuse them of censorship and threaten their broadcast licences. CNN also chose not to carry the speech live on its main channel.

Trump threatens broadcast licenses

Mid-speech, Trump accused NBC and ABC of colluding in a “plot” by skipping the broadcast, calling it a “rare move” and arguing “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.” Legal experts note networks have broad First Amendment latitude over what they air, though broadcasters have historically carried presidential addresses as matters of public importance.

.@POTUS: "In a rare move, NBC and ABC Fake News have both said that they would not cover this speech… 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. They and others in the media are part of the… pic.twitter.com/gLwanu8gaK

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 17, 2026

Democrats were split on the question. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged networks not to air the speech, arguing Trump was likely to repeat debunked election claims.

How each network handled it

ABC streamed the address on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio, skipping its broadcast channel.

NBC carried it on its free streaming service, NBC News NOW, also bypassing its main network.

CNN monitored the speech for news rather than airing it live, offering a feed only through its website and paid streaming tier.

CBS preempted regular programming to air it live, but anchor Tony Dokoupil opened with a pointed disclaimer that “much of what the president has said on this topic is false,” and the network cut away after about 15 minutes to fact-check his claims.

Fox News carried the speech in full, with some local affiliates simulcasting the cable feed.

Streaming platforms like ABC News Live and NBC News NOW typically draw far smaller audiences than the networks’ broadcast signals, meaning most Americans who watched live likely did so on Fox.

A tense backdrop for the networks involved

The speech landed amid heightened scrutiny of nearly every network in play. ABC’s parent Disney is facing two open FCC inquiries, including one over whether “The View” broke equal-time rules by interviewing a Democratic Senate candidate; the FCC could begin moving to pull licenses from Disney’s eight ABC-owned stations as soon as next month.

Comcast-owned NBC has faced repeated attacks from Trump, who has nicknamed it “Concast” and previously walked out of an NBC interview; FCC Chair Brendan Carr is separately investigating the network’s diversity practices.

.@POTUS: Even when significant evidence of fraud has been detected, it has been buried and covered up. Among the disclosures tonight are FBI files detailing evidence of alleged fraud by a large-scale voter registration operation in Michigan.

The FBI agents working on the case… pic.twitter.com/OBLdCfTWii

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 17, 2026

At CBS, David Ellison’s Paramount takeover with billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison as his father has unsettled the newsroom and prompted departures from “60 Minutes,” amid allegations of editorial interference the network denies; Ellison is now awaiting FCC approval to acquire Warner Bros.

Story continues below this ad

Discovery, which would hand him CNN. Fox News, meanwhile, paid $787.5 million in 2023 to settle a defamation suit tied to its coverage of 2020 election fraud claims.

Carr himself said Wednesday the broadcast networks should air Trump’s remarks, telling NewsNation the public has “every right” to hear them over the public airwaves.

The Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis.

A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students.

All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. The desk prioritises clarity, accuracy, and accountability, ensuring readers can navigate complex global systems with confidence.

Core Team

The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy:

Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership.

Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage.

Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ... Read More

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

# ABC

# CBS

# CNN

# donald trump

# Fox news

# NBC

Loading Recommendations...

01

02

03

04

05

Live Blog