CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox News all refused to air Biden’s prime-time speech attacking MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump because it was too ‘political’ and close to midterms.
People involved in negotiations over Biden’s Thursday address in Philadelphia told the Washington Post the networks deemed the remarks ‘political’ in nature and opted not to televise it as it came two months before midterm elections.
Instead, CBS aired a rerun of Young Sheldon, NBC broadcasted a rerun of Law and Order, ABC aired its Press Your Luck game show, and Fox, the most-watched of the cable news channels, aired its latest episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight.
In his divisive speech, Biden In his divisive speech, Biden called out Trump by name, slamming the former president for his false claim the 2020 election was stolen and berating those who support the former president.
‘Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represented extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,’ Biden said to great applause from his supporters.
Following criticism over his speech and its optics, Biden backtracked on his remarks the following day, claiming: ”I don’t consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country.’
Biden declared Donald Trump is a ‘threat to the country’ in a speech that contained his harshest rhetoric to date about his predecessor in the Oval Office and the MAGA movement
Historically, presidents rarely make speeches during prime-time TV hours, only doing so when in times of national crisis.
When it does occur, the networks typically comply and present the speech to ensure that as many Americans as possible receive the president’s message, however, the media outlets have passed on speeches that get too political.
NBC and CBS both passed on Barack Obama’s prime-time speech in 2014 over immigration reform.
And networks appeared not to take the bait this time around after White officials tried to sell them on Thursday’s speech, with one telling NBC News that it was ‘not a speech about a particular politician or even about a particular political party,’ the Post reported.
Biden’s speech was carried live on CNN and MSNBC.
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