President Donald Trump is set to address the nation on Thursday, July 16. Trump will deliver his address at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to an announcement the White House made on social media on July 13.
The speech lands during an unusually heavy stretch of news. Tensions with Iran have flared back up, two ICE shootings have turned deadly, and the country is still processing the death of Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham. On top of that, control of Congress could shift depending on how the upcoming midterms play out.
Asked by radio host Hugh Hewitt to preview what to expect, Trump compared it to speeches he had already given this month, including his Mount Rushmore address on July 3 and his National Mall remarks on July 4 marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He described it simply as another speech in his usual style.
What Will Trump Talk About?
Neither Trump nor the White House has laid out a detailed agenda for the address, but the president has said the focus will be on what he calls free and fair elections.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on July 14, Trump was asked directly whether election integrity would be part of his remarks. He suggested the announcement would be significant, saying the country needs to shape up and that free and fair elections are foundational to having a functioning country. He added that other topics would come up too, but framed the overall message as a major announcement.
“It’s really, really big news, and our country has to shape up. That’s what we’re going to be talking about Thursday. It doesn’t get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” Trump said.
NBC News reported that the address is expected to center on election integrity, including findings that the Trump administration says point to foreign interference in the 2020 election. The speech also comes as Trump continues to repeat unproven claims that the 2020 election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden, was stolen.
Trump‘s speech won’t be covered live by at least two networks, as per a report from Axios. NBC will cover Trump’s speech live only on NBC News Now, not on NBC News. NBC News will a special report after Trump completes his speech. ABC, also, will cover Trump’s speech live only on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio, not on its main network.
Democrats Push Back Ahead Of The Speech
Not everyone is convinced the speech is really about 2020. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Capitol Hill that Trump’s real motivation is the upcoming 2026 midterms, not the past presidential election, according to NBC News.
Schumer argued that Trump is anxious about his party’s chances in November, since Republicans are at risk of losing control of the House and Senate even though Trump himself is not on the ballot. “He’s scared to death that he will lose in 2026, and so he’s trying to change the subject,” Schumer said.
He said that if Trump genuinely wanted to win over the public, he should focus on lowering costs and addressing dysfunction in his administration rather than re-litigating 2020. “The bottom line is, if Trump wants to win the American people over, instead of the bullshit that he’s peddling about 2020, he ought to focus on lowering people’s costs, getting rid of the chaos in administration, getting rid of the corruption,” Schumer suggested.
Schumer went further, saying he does not believe anyone trusts Trump to tell the truth, and accused him of lying for the past six years, particularly when it comes to his claims about the 2020 election.