Chief Critic
“It’s the rantings of a pathetic, unserious person. . . the president knows virtually nothing about the American elections system,” Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y. told C-SPAN. “He has no idea what he’s talking about . . . there is no basis in fact to almost anything he said.”
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tangent
Trump reiterated his push for the Senate to pass a new law, known as the SAVE Act, that would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote. The bill has been stalled, because it needs some Democratic support to break the 60-vote filibuster threshold, which Trump has urged the Senate to abolish in order to more easily pass legislation.
surprising fact
Several major networks, including ABC and NBC, and CNN said late Thursday they would not air the speech on its primary channels, multiple outlets reported. The outlets did not say why they opted against carrying the speech, but some Democrats called for a TV boycott, citing concerns Trump would spread misleading claims about the U.S. elections system just months before the midterms in November.
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Key Background
Trump was widely expected to make new allegations of fraud related to the 2020 election after his previous claims of malfeasance. He has long pointed to allegations of voting machine manipulation and mail-in ballot fraud as the reason for his loss to former President Joe Biden, though his efforts to overturn the election results repeatedly floundered in court due to a lack of evidence. Multiple outlets reported Trump would make new claims that China meddled in the 2020 election, despite intelligence officials previously finding “no indications” of any foreign interference that could have changed the results. Trump announced earlier this week he would deliver the speech and teased “really, really big news” in remarks to reporters Tuesday, but few details about the content of his speech were made public before the address. Trump acknowledged he would touch on “free and fair elections” and said the speech would “concern that subject” when asked by a reporter if he would discuss election machines and integrity. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday, “the truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in.” She said it was “very possible” Trump would also mention the economy and war with Iran.
further reading
Trump May Target China In Primetime Election Security Speech: What We Know (Forbes)
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