MSNBC didn’t air Trump’s speech because “he’s repeating the same lies.”

As Donald Trump began a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow explained to viewers why the network wasn’t broadcasting the speech live. “As far as we can tell, and what we’re prepared for here, is that this is basically a campaign speech where he’s repeating his same lies and accusations against his supposed enemies,” he said.

CNN and Fox News Channel both carried Trump’s speech, but on MSNBC, Maddow explained her network’s decision as a journalistic one. When live footage of Trump’s speech appeared in a box next to Maddow, albeit without the recording, he said “it’s expensive for us as a news organization to knowingly broadcast things that are not true.” That language, which knowingly broadcasts untruths, is of course at the heart of Dominion Votings Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News, accusing the network of knowingly spreading false statements about Dominion after the 2020 presidential election. :

In the nearly 30-minute address, Trump repeated many of his favorite platitudes and attacked a New York criminal judge and the judge’s family. “I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and is now receiving money from the Biden-Harris campaign. And a lot,” said Trump.

On MSNBC, Maddow told viewers the network would monitor the speech for any real news, but otherwise Trump wouldn’t be a free outlet for an unfiltered leak on MSNBC. “Know that this is happening,” he told viewers, “and we don’t accept it.” Anyone interested in watching Trump would certainly have no trouble finding a live broadcast, either on another cable news network or online.

Trump’s campaign speeches will once again test cable news networks, which have been criticized for giving Trump essentially free airtime as he holds rallies during his 2016 presidential bid, sometimes even carrying a Trump-themed pulpit. live images. as the networks were waiting for Trump’s speech.

Trump’s criminal case in New York adds another layer of complexity to the live coverage of the former president, as Trump attacked District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday night and called for his arrest. Trump’s personal attacks on Bragg via social media led to threats against Bragg and his family, including a threatening letter that arrived in a white powder envelope that was later found to be harmless.