Trump is expected to make election conspiracy theories a focus of his national address

President Donald Trump is set to address the nation Thursday night on topics he said will include elections and voting machines, suggesting he is likely to revisit some of the unproven claims he has previously made about Republican losses, particularly his own in 2020. According to a person familiar with the speech, Trump is expected to present declassified information he will say shows foreign interference in the 2020 election.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday afternoon: “President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections. And we encourage every American to tune in.” She didn't offer many details, but said that what the president planned to say “will shock you if you have an honest eye listening to the president tonight” and will make the case that the U.S. Will “need to make some adjustments moving forward,” including a strict voter ID bill he has been pushing.

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Context and Political Reaction

Democrats warned that Trump was trying to revive false claims of past stolen elections in order to delegitimize the 2026 midterm elections, in which Trump’s Republican Party is facing headwinds. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon that Trump's primetime speech tonight has more to do with the 2026 elections than the 2020 presidential election. "He’s scared to death that he will lose in 2026, and so he’s trying to change the subject,” Schumer said outside the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., panned Trump's planned speech on election integrity tonight to the nation in remarks to reporters on Capitol Hill. “And let me be very clear about this: If the president declares Georgia’s elections illegitimate, or if the president declares Georgia’s sitting United States senators illegitimate, he is declaring Georgia voters illegitimate," Ossoff said. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters he doesn’t know what Trump is going to say. “But,” he said, “the only thing I can tell you is that we are focused on the 2026 election, at least I am, and I think most of my colleagues are.”

Broadcast Developments and Internal Issues

At least some TV networks said Thursday they would not carry the speech live but would air it on their streaming services. ABC, NBC and CNN decided not to air the remarks live but to carry them in full on their streaming services and break into network coverage as needed. CBS said it was “airing a special report” during the address, but it wasn’t clear if the network would carry it live. During the press briefing Thursday, Leavitt seemed to be still trying to persuade networks to carry the remarks live, saying, “I think that the mainstream media should air the president’s speech and allow the American people to draw their own conclusions from it.”

A longtime teleprompter operator for Trump allegedly made more than $90,000 on the prediction market Kalshi by betting on the president’s remarks. The trades were allegedly made by Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president who has served as a teleprompter operator for Trump since 2016. Leavitt announced during the White House press briefing that the aide was on leave, saying that Trump was aware of the situation and found it to be "deeply unfortunate and frankly, a disgrace." Leavitt said the teleprompter operator has been cooperating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to put a bill on the floor next week that would extend government funding temporarily past the Sept. 30 deadline. Trump will attend the World Cup final match between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey on Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced. Leavitt said Trump may use his remarks to also address the economy and Iran, saying, “We have had conversations about him addressing a range of topics, and that could very well be possible tonight.”