Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called on TV networks not to air “lies about our election” ahead of President Donald Trump’s prime-time address Thursday night, where he will reportedly speak about election security.
“I don’t think that we should be contributing to any platforming of lies about our election,” the New York representative and outspoken Trump critic told reporters Tuesday. “I think that we have an ethical obligation to not air things that undermine our election that are not rooted in evidence and fact.”
“So, you know, of course it depends on the contents of this speech, but that’s my take on it,” added the congresswoman, who has been discussed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
Trump is scheduled to address the nation at 9 p.m. Thursday. Though the specifics of his remarks are unknown, several outlets have reported that he may revisit claims that the 2020 election was tampered with, allegations he has repeatedly made without evidence. In the past, TV networks have sometimes refrained from airing presidential addresses, including those that are judged to be overtly political.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Independent: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the dumbest and most radical members of Congress. The great people of New York’s 14th congressional district deserve much better.”
The 80-year-old president previewed his upcoming speech during an Oval Office event with Iraq’s prime minister Tuesday, saying he would address U.S. elections.
“It's really, really big news,” Trump said. “And our country has to shape up. But that's what we're going to be talking about Thursday…because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country.”
“It's going to be a very big announcement,” he added.
MS NOW, citing two administration officials, reported that Trump is expected to address “newly declassified intelligence reports that the White House asserts reveal plans by foreign nations to interfere in the 2020 election.”
Axios similarly reported that the president may use the speech to unveil findings from intelligence officials tied to the administration’s review of the 2020 race.
AOC on Trump’s Thursday address: I don’t think we should be contributing to the platforming of lies about our elections. Many of these outlets often receive transcripts, and I think we have an ethical obligation not to air things that undermine our elections and are not rooted in… pic.twitter.com/MrHKjt2Waa
“Anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Washington Post. “The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in.”
Trump has long insisted, without evidence, that the 2020 election — which he lost to former President Joe Biden — was “rigged” and “stolen.”
He has frequently singled out Georgia, where his margin of defeat was less than 1 percentage point. In January, FBI agents executed a search warrant at an election office in Fulton County tied to the 2020 vote. Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, head of the nation’s spy agencies, was present at the raid, sparking concerns from Democratic lawmakers.
Multiple reviews have consistently found that the 2020 election was conducted fairly. In 2020, Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr said that the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud that could have altered the outcome. U.S. intelligence agencies reached a similar conclusion the following year, finding no indication that foreign interference altered votes.
“Unlike in 2016, we did not see persistent Russian cyber efforts to gain access to election infrastructure,” a March 2021 intelligence report stated.
The president’s speech comes as he is pushing the GOP-controlled Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require new voters to provide proof of citizenship, ahead of the November midterms. Several Republicans, operating with razor-thin majorities in both chambers, have said they lack the votes to pass the legislations.
The Trump administration has also pursued a rash of additional measures aimed at policing election security. Earlier this month, the Justice Department sent letters to state election officials threatening criminal prosecution for those who allow noncitizens to vote, citing statutes that have long been on the books.
Presidential addresses have not always been guaranteed airtime; for decades, networks have declined to cover them at different times.
In 1975, two major networks refused to broadcast then-President Gerald Ford's address on spending and tax cuts. Likewise, in 2014, CBS News, ABC News and Fox News declined to carry then-President Barack Obama’s remarks outlining his executive actions on immigration. In 2022, ABC News, CBS News and NBC News opted not to air then-President Joe Biden’s address warning the nation about threats to democracy.
