Ahead of President Biden’s planned prime-time address from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, former President Donald J. Trump and his campaign sent a letter to ABC, NBC and CBS on Tuesday demanding that Mr. Trump be given equal airtime.
Mr. Biden is expected to address his decision to end his re-election campaign and outline his plans for the rest of his time in office.
In a social media post, he wrote that he would discuss “what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.”But in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times, the Trump campaign’s general counsel, David Warrington, asserted in advance of Mr. Biden’s speech that it would most likely address Mr. Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Based on that assumption, Mr. Warrington wrote, “it appears that President Biden’s speech will not be a bona fide news event, but rather, a prime-time campaign commercial.” Citing the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rule, Mr. Warrington insisted that Mr. Trump be given similar time on air, arguing that Mr. Biden’s address was a “campaign speech,” even as Mr. Biden is no longer technically a candidate for the presidency.
Persons:
Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, Biden, David Warrington, Kamala Harris, Warrington
Organizations:
ABC, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, Trump, Federal Communications Commission’s