A primetime speech on the 2020 election delivered by President Donald Trump on July 17 prompted another round of threats against major broadcast networks, this time targeting ABC and NBC for choosing not to carry the address live on their main channels.
The president used a portion of the roughly 25-minute address to attack the two networks directly, declaring that their refusal to broadcast what he described as evidence of fraud “should mean a revocation of their licenses.” He claimed the networks were using public airwaves worth billions of dollars “for absolutely no money” and called NBC and ABC “fake news” for what he termed a rare decision not to cover the speech.
First Amendment advocates dismissed the threat immediately, noting that Trump’s legal reasoning was fundamentally flawed. The networks themselves hold no Federal Communications Commission broadcast licenses — those belong to local affiliate stations, which operate as separate corporate entities and handle transmission.
According to Greg Lukianoff, who leads the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression as its president and CEO, the license threats over editorial decisions as an assault on constitutional free speech protections. He noted this was far from the first instance of networks choosing not to air a presidential address.
A Familiar Move by Presidents of Both Parties
Major networks have a history of declining to broadcast certain presidential speeches when they view the content as overly political. In November 2014, President Barack Obama announced new immigration actions in an address that ABC, NBC and CBS all refused to air, deeming it too partisan in nature.
More recently, in September 2022, President Joe Biden delivered a Philadelphia speech criticizing Donald Trump and what he called MAGA extremism. The three major broadcast networks once again declined live coverage, treating the address as midterm campaign rhetoric rather than a traditional presidential message. Neither Biden nor Obama responded with threats to revoke broadcast licenses.
Trump Targets the Networks From the Podium
Both ABC and NBC had announced in advance they would maintain their regular programming schedules instead of airing the speech on their main broadcast channels, though both offered coverage on their streaming platforms. CBS chose to air the address, with CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil telling viewers the network planned to broadcast it as part of news coverage even though “much of” Trump’s commentary on the subject “has been false.” CBS cut away with approximately five minutes left in the speech.
During the address, Trump revisited complaints about the media, China and what he characterized as a conspiracy network that he claims stole the 2020 election. Fact-checkers have refuted that claim many times, and the recently released classified materials Trump highlighted during the speech failed to validate his claims.
No Legal Power to Compel Coverage
Trump has repeatedly conflated networks with local stations over the years, issuing similar warnings against ABC, NBC and others during both his first presidency and his second, which started January 20, 2025. The FCC grants broadcast licenses to local affiliates for use of public airwaves, not to the networks that produce programming. Those affiliates are predominantly independent corporate entities rather than network subsidiaries.
In reality, viewers who wanted to watch had numerous options. The speech aired in full on cable news, YouTube, social media platforms and the White House website, in addition to network streaming services.
No formal action against the networks or their affiliate stations has been announced. The FCC’s licensing authority does not permit punishing broadcasters for editorial decisions about which presidential addresses to air. The episode continues a pattern throughout Trump’s tenure: when media coverage proves unfavorable, he publicly demands consequences that fall outside the boundaries of existing law.
