Trump calls ABC and NBC ‘corrupt’ and demands license

President Donald Trump launched a fierce assault on NBC and ABC during his White House tackle on Thursday, July 16, after each tv networks declined to broadcast his speech live.

Just hours before the 80-year-old commander-in-chief’s scheduled 9 p.m. EST look, it was confirmed that neither ABC nor NBC would carry the tackle on its main tv channels.

The networks opted instead to stream the speech completely on their respective digital platforms, despite widespread anticipation that Trump’s remarks would middle on the already debunked 2020 presidential election fraud conspiracy idea.

Trump validated those expectations, repeatedly revisiting disproven election fraud allegations throughout his tackle, briefly pausing his accusations to show his sights on NBC and ABC instantly.

“In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech,” Trump said.

He continued, “[ABC and NBC] knew what it was about. Because of the fact 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 a part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going.”

Trump additional alleged that the “fraud” perpetuated by ABC and NBC warranted a “revocation” of their “licenses.”

Journalist Brian Stelter was first to interrupt the story, revealing in an X thread ahead of the White House event that neither network would carry Trump’s tackle live. “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,” Brian wrote.

White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung fired again at the resolution on X, stating, “Cowards. NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth. All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU. Tune in @WhiteHouse at 9:00 pm EDT, where we always get bigger ratings than any of the networks.”

While an NBC spokesperson merely confirmed to media outlet Mediaite that Brian’s report was correct, an ABC consultant elaborated on the network’s reasoning to 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,” the ABC spokesperson told Mediaite.