Trump Calls for Revoking ABC and NBC Licenses After Networks Skip Speech

President Donald Trump attacked ABC and NBC and called for their broadcast licenses to be revoked after the two networks declined to carry his recent primetime address.

President Donald Trump speaks during a primetime address criticizing major television networks over their coverage decisions. (Photo: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons)

During the speech, Trump accused China of illegally accessing U.S. voter data and repeated his longstanding claims about election security, Siladitya Ray reported for Forbes.

In addition to ABC and NBC, CNN also declined to air the speech live. CBS carried most of the address in a special segment anchored by Tony Dokoupil while including disclaimers regarding Trump's previous false claims about the 2020 election.

During the speech, Trump said ABC and NBC News made a "rare move" by not broadcasting his remarks live, although similar decisions have occurred in the past.

Without providing evidence, Trump accused the networks and other media organizations of participating in "a plot" and claimed they knew "how corrupt our system is and they don't want to reveal it."

Despite the absence of evidence supporting widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, Trump claimed the networks wanted to "continue this fraud," "keep it going," and "protect the radical left."

Trump described ABC and NBC's decision not to air the speech as an act of "fraud" and argued it "should mean a revocation of their licenses."

He also criticized the broadcasters for using "our public airwaves," which he described as being worth billions of dollars.