MSNBC boycotts Trump’s ‘untrue’ Mar-a-Lago speech as ABC cuts off remarks after WWIII threat
Former president called indictment a ‘fake case’ in remarks from his Florida estate
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MSNBC decided on Tuesday it wouldn’t be airing a full broadcast of Donald Trump’s speech from Mar-a-Lago, his first public remarks since heading to New York earlier in the day to face 34 criminal charges related to his involvement in a hush money scheme during the 2016 election.
During a discussion segment, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said the network wasn’t showing the full speech because it was “basically a campaign speech in which he is repeating his same lies and allegations against his perceived enemies.”
"There’s a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things,” she continued. “So, our deal with you is that we will monitor these remarks. If he does say anything newsworthy, we will turn them around and report on that right way."
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
Other networks also didn’t air the speech in full.
ABC News cut away from the former president’s speech as he was delivering a favourite recent addition to his stump speech, claiming that Joe Biden would provoke an “all-out nuclear World War 3.”
During the speech, Mr Trump sounded familiar notes, claiming he did nothing wrong.
“The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” Mr Trump said, while claiming “our country is going to hell.”
He also repeated his attacks on Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over his case, as well as the official’s family.
“I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harr,” Mr Trump continued.
Earlier in the day, the New York judge warned Mr Trump from making statements that incited unrest or targeted public officials during his criminal case. The former president and his family have been publicly attacking officials tied to the probe for days.
Cable news channels were scrutinised for the copious air time they gave to Donald Trump during the 2016 election, sometimes carrying live shots of empty podiums over showing other candidates or news stories.
Research suggests Mr Trump dwarfed other candidates when it came to winning free or “earned” media, at times garnering nearly triple the rate of his next-highest contender, Hillary Clinton.
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