Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump is making quite the splash, demanding that major broadcast networks not play favorites when it comes to airing Joe Biden’s upcoming primetime speech. In what appears to be a solid case of “equal time” under federal law, Trump’s legal team has sent letters to big players like ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX insisting that if they air Biden’s political commercial—sorry, speech—then Trump deserves an equal bite of the airtime apple.
With Biden’s bombshell announcement circulating that he is officially stepping down from the presidential race and giving his backing to Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s team isn’t shy about labeling his Wednesday night address as little more than a glorified campaign ad for Harris. After all, with notoriously low poll numbers, Harris could use all the help she can get. Trump’s counsel argues that Biden’s address lacks the hallmarks of a “bona fide news event” and instead is nothing but a desperate bid to gin up support for his lagging vice president.
This isn’t just about fairness; it’s about the law. Trump’s attorneys have asserted that federal law mandates equal opportunities for candidates if one gets airtime. In this case, if the networks decide to give Biden a microphone, they’ll have to cough up the same amount of screen time for Trump, now the official Republican nominee after his grand acceptance at the RNC in Milwaukee. If networks think they can roll out the red carpet for a shaky Biden while leaving Trump in the wings, they may want to reconsider, lest they find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Yes, but DEI, BLM, Climate Change, and so much more are also one parties political issues. Wake up america!
Exclusive: Trump Campaign Demands Equal Time from Major Networks if Carrying Biden’s Kamala Boosting Primetime Address https://t.co/FwlKtQTI7E via @BreitbartNews
— Daniel (@TheonofAntioc) July 24, 2024
Trump’s letters take it a step further, emphasizing that hosting Biden’s speech could lead to a flood of consequences for the networks, including everything from hefty fines to the revocation of their station licenses. In a world where media bias is as common as avocado toast, it’s unsurprising that Trump’s team is ready to lay down the law. The letters serve as a formal notice—an invitation, really—that they shouldn’t take this request lightly. The last thing a network wants is to be painted as a blatant political player, contributing to the Biden campaign without adhering to the rules.
It remains to be seen how the network bigwigs will respond to this overture. Will they fight back and try to dodge their obligations? Or will they take the plunge and offer Trump his much-deserved airtime? Whatever the outcome, it’s clear that Trump isn’t backing down, and every moment of Biden’s primetime address is now poised to be a prime opportunity for Republican rebuttal. It’s a political chess match, and both sides seem ready to play, though one may be relying on a few less moves than the other.
