Former President Donald Trump is requesting equal coverage from ABC, NBC, and CBS during President Joe Biden’s address to the country on Wednesday from the Oval Office.
Trump’s campaign demanded equal airtime from the three networks in a letter obtained by the New York Times, citing their belief that the address would be used as a campaign event. Biden announced earlier this week that he will address the country from the White House about his decision to withdraw from the presidential campaign and his strategies for completing the remaining months of his term in office.
Citing the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” regulation, Trump campaign general counsel David Warrington addressed a letter to the networks stating, “It appears that President Joe Biden’s speech will not be a news event, but rather, a prime-time campaign advertisement.”
Despite the fact that Biden is no longer a presidential contender, the letter claims he would use this as a “campaign address” to support Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
The FCC’s “equal time” regulations, which required local stations to provide both candidates with equal airtime, constrained cable networks until the 1970s. In 1975, the FCC established an exception to the regulation for “bona fide news events,” such as press conferences and speeches by then-President Gerald Ford.
Biden posted on X on Tuesday, saying, “Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what is ahead and how I will finish the work for the American people.”
His first public speech since deciding to withdraw from the race will be on Wednesday; it’s unclear how much of it will be devoted to endorsing Harris.
