JUST IN: NBC and ABC Will Not Air Trump's Primetime Address Live

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Source: Mediaite

NBC and ABC will not be airing President Donald Trump’s planned national address this evening, multiple reporters shared Thursday and Mediaite has confirmed. Instead, both networks will show the speech on their streaming platforms. There is precedent for the move — networks previously declined to air certain speeches given by President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden in real time.

Brian Stelter posted the news via a series of threaded posts on X.

“In sum: Trump will not be getting the wall-to-wall airtime he wants from everyone, but the speech will be widely streamed and available,” he explained.

Link to tweet

“NBC says ‘we will provide live coverage of the president’s remarks at 9pm ET tonight on NBC News NOW. We plan to air a special report on the network following the remarks,'” Stelter continued.

A spokesperson for ABC said in a statement shared with Mediaite, “ABC News will run President Trump’s speech on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio with comprehensive, anchored coverage. We will also cover the speech in our regular network newscasts and, as always, our Special Report team is fully prepared to break into network programming to deliver live updates and reporting should significant developments occur.”


Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/just-in-nbc-and-abc-will-not-air-trumps-primetime-address-live/

---

JUST IN: NBC and ABC Will Not Air Trump’s Primetime Address Live

— Mediaite (@mediaite.com) 2026-07-16T20:24:32Z

[Lovie777]

1. CBS will....

I’m glad some corporate media will take a stand.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

4. CBS under Bari Weiss is state media at this point.

[B.See]

34. Exactly. NO surprise Fux Lite will be airing it.

[JustKay]

39. She's the modern day Leni Riefenstahl.

[OGBuzz]

5. I hope Bari still has her pom poms.

[hamsterjill]

40. Don't you mean knee pads?

Sorry, that was tacky of me.

[paleotn]

43. But not inaccurate.

[hamsterjill]

46. Nope. Not by a long shot.

[OGBuzz]

55. 👍 No, that was perfect.

[Jack Valentino]

52. That ought to put CBS' ratings straight into the sewer for tonight....

I hope all those TVs suddenly switching away from CBS don't cause some kind of freak geo-magnetic storm!!!

[Chasstev365]

2. Excellent: This will enrage him right before a National address

[OGBuzz]

6. I hope the rage turns him several more shades of cheeto.

[PatSeg]

17. Yeah, he's not going to be happy

He wants to believe that he is all powerful and can do whatever he wants all the time, just like his dictator buddies across the globe.

[FarPoint]

3. I will NOT click on any streaming of his shit show either....

I will get plenty of update of his lies dished out from someone here on DU .....Someone will bite the bullet and suffer thru it..... I don't have the fortitude to tolerate it.

[2naSalit]

7. I hope that...

About three minutes in he has already got himself so worked up that he just collapses and dies right there. It's the best thing that could happen for everybody in the world.

[Ocelot II]

26. I would tune in right away for that!

[2naSalit]

29. Same here!

[TomSlick]

30. Hope springs eternal.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Good.

I remember an address on education that Obama gave that media outlets/schools refused to air.

Schools boycott Obama speech as critics abruptly change tone

[frisbee7]

9. So far all of the 3 majors are showing

regular programing on their schedule.

Should be interesting to see what CBS does in the next 3 hours.

[tavernier]

23. I read earlier that CBS and Fox weren't going to do it either.

I suppose he will be on somewhere and anyone who wants to see him will be able to, but it won’t be me

[Mme. Defarge]

25. And, of course,

Fox.

[Marthe48]

10. God bless them

I wouldn't watch it if my eyelids were taped open.

[ancianita]

11. MSNOW claims that John Solomon is the man behind the felon's speech content.

https://www.ms.now/opinion/john-solomon-trump-election-speech

... Creating “phantom scandals” has made Solomon a key element of the right-wing media’s propaganda machine. He gained prominence for his quest to discredit Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation during Trump’s first administration — first while working for Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Circa News, and later after becoming executive vice president of digital video at The Hill. Many of the “phantom scandals” Solomon pursued served to rewrite history by claiming that it was really Democrats with corrupt relationships with Russia who worked to undermine Trump in the 2016 presidential election — not the other way around...

... Solomon is now in a position to potentially create a “phantom scandal” directly from the White House, and right-wing media figures like Bannon have suggested such a narrative could be a “predicate” for Trump to declare a national emergency over election security ahead of the midterms.

As my colleague John Knefel reported:

The details of the scheme remain publicly vague, and may not yet come to pass, but the short version looks something like this: First, the White House would declassify and release documents purporting to show foreign interference in U.S. elections, especially by the Chinese Communist Party.

Next, Trump would use that supposed “proof” of a stolen election to declare a national emergency, thereby — according to those pushing this idea — giving him extraordinary powers over the upcoming midterms. That move would serve as a way to advance the anti-voting rights measures in the SAVE America Act, like forcing voters to prove their citizenship, without having to actually pass the law — which Congress, so far at least, appears reluctant to do.

New reporting from MS NOW that Trump’s upcoming speech on Thursday “will focus on voting machine security and alleged efforts by foreign nations to influence U.S. elections” suggests that some administration officials are sounding the alarm:

Access to the president has “loosened” in recent months, according to one administration official, as Trump has increasingly leaned on aides and senior officials willing to spread conspiracy theories about 2020.

“It’s that network [of people] that is the real f***ing problem,” said the administration official, who, like others who spoke with MS NOW for this story, was granted anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue. “They try to put bits and pieces together and then make these conclusions. Everything I have seen, it’s not what’s there.” ....

[Initech]

12. This is excellent news! Thank you ABC and NBC!

[bluestarone]

13. To me, the key word is LIVE.

This should not even be covered at all. LIES have no business in our media coverage. If it can't be proved to be the truth then keep it out of the media coverage.

[ashredux]

15. I have a post speech, each lie can be dissected and shown as a lie

[bluestarone]

16. But will they call them as they see them?

Betting not.

[ashredux]

14. Most excellent.....👍👍

[LeftInTX]

18. Good!

[littlemissmartypants]

19. FDT Has anyone seen the video of Stephen Miller today??

That's more concerning than anything the slack*ss liar has to say.

[Amaryllis]

22. He came across positively demented.

[littlemissmartypants]

32. I thought it was scary.

[Amaryllis]

38. I think he shares DNA wtih Voldemort.

[Callie1979]

48. Where is it?

[Fil1957]

20. That's not as big a deal as it seems. 15 or 20 years ago maybe. But with streaming video on the internet, it'll still

get wide distribution.

[WinstonSmith4740]

21. Thanks for posting this!

I had just received and email from Raw Story about this, and was coming here to check it out. As of a couple of hours ago, they weren't sure about CNN, but expected CBS to also only carry it on their streaming service.
This should be interesting.

[AllaN01Bear]

24. ding, this. congrats to nbc and abc.

well wah to the orange dunkoff.

[Blue Owl]

27. Quiet, Piggy!

[doc03]

28. Good I hope CBS ratings tank.

[warmfeet]

31. How wonderful.

CBS publicly sucks the cock of the president. What a wonderful world.

[kimbutgar]

33. Excellent! I hope some brave DUer will watch it and give the ghastly highlights of lies, distortions and take one for

Our team

[C Moon]

35. Hopefully, he'll wind up going off-script w meandering nonsense

and most channels will cut him off anyway.

[lostincalifornia]

36. Bravo.

[relogic]

37. Eleven years ago or more

your defiance against this criminal might have slowed the country’s bent toward fascism. Now the platform you gave so graciously to him then inspired him and his class of criminals to steal more of what was left after 911.

[hamsterjill]

41. I will bet you that he calls those two networks out as "communist".

Whatcha wanna bet?

[durablend]

42. His lapdog Brendan will be taking notes

"Too bad about that network license"

[LetMyPeopleVote]

44. Devastating humiliation served to Trump as TV networks snub speech -- for these shows

This snub makes me happy. I was happy to CNN is also snubbing this joke of a speech.
There will be nothing new in this speech. This speech is an attempt for trump to try to steal the midterms using old documents that do not prove his lies.

President Donald Trump was served a heaping helping of humiliation ahead of his primetime address Thursday night, with several major broadcast networks snubbing the planned remarks in favor of a nature documentary and game show.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-07-16T21:50:38Z

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-prime-time-address-2677234983/

President Donald Trump was served a heaping helping of humiliation ahead of his primetime address Thursday night, with several major broadcast networks snubbing the planned remarks in favor of a nature documentary and game show.

"NBC and ABC will not carry Trump on their respective networks but will carry on their digital feeds, NBC News Now and ABC News Live. Expect CBS to do the same," Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Flint reported on X, hours before the speech was to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

It wasn't immediately known if CNN would also snub the address, Flint explained.....

NBC News, according to TV Insider, is scheduled to feature its series "The Americas," a nature documentary narrated by legendary actor Tom Hanks. This week's episode was set to focus on the Gulf Coast and its swamps and wetlands that are home to black bears and alligators.

The network said it planned to broadcast a special report following the address, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

ABC plans to air the Elizabeth Banks-hosted game show "Press Your Luck" during that hour, TV Insider reported.

[LilElf70]

45. Maybe there's hope yet

But people know it's not enough. Many more stations need to follow immediately. All media need to shut his ass down. If for anything, just to prove a point.

A couple of reasons:

It will be a narcissistic view of him being the center point of attention again. Everyone this. Everyone that. Nothing to back up the lies and bullshit.

It will be a total waste of anyone's time. No one wants to hear how the dictator thinks he is going to destroy our democracy. And now he wants to control the elections?

The bullshit will most likely be plentiful and contain many, many lies.

Let's see how low the polls will go.

[xuplate]

47. This feels like a major shift away from the deferential treatment he has been receiving.

Something in the air—like the Thunderbolt Newman song. The beginning of the end.

[chowmama]

49. But, but...

Muh Ratings!

[Wonder Why]

50. The Cartoon Channel will also air it live.

[dweller]

51. He just called for both

Of their broadcast licenses to be revoked …


😐



✌🏻

[LetMyPeopleVote]

53. Trump is upset at NBC and ABC

Link to tweet

[JohnnyRingo]

54. Good! It wasn't exactly a State of the Union speech. It was a campaign speech

He should pay to air a partisan soapbox sesh.